The Expedition
by mcooper767
Summary: Goku, Naruto, Ichigo, Yusuke, Inuyasha, Natsu, Luffy, Aang, and Edward Elric fly to the icy planet of Arulok to search for the three star Dragonball to repair the barriers between life and death! Old enemies return and new foes rise; let's hope that our space-bound heroes and their friends have what it takes to save the universe!
1. Team to Arulok

**You do NOT need to read parts one and two to read part three below. Summary of one and two below.**

**DBZ: Post-Buu saga, pre-GT saga, has only gone SS3 twice. Due to polls I posted on various anime sites, Goku and Tsunade are a thing, so to make it less weird than it already is, Tsunade is around thirty-five, like Goku (Thanks fans ('-_-)), and Trunks' mom is someone else thanks to said poll. The Vegeta pairing will come up in this part of the series. Future Trunks stays with the Z-Fighters of the saved time-line. Haku is alive and is under Piccolo's training thanks to Kabuto bringing Haku back to life through the barrier between the living and dead. After a skirmish between Haku and Piccolo, Piccolo takes him as a student. **

**Naruto: mid-Kazekage rescue arc, Kurama only allows him to access the two tail form due to a deal they make during Goku's training. **

**Bleach: mid-Arrancar arc, Yammy is dead (killed in by Ichigo and Natsu in part two). Ichigo has not fought any other Espada yet.**

**Yu Yu Hakusho: start of Chapter Black saga; Elder Toguro is killed in part two by Goku,**

**Inuyasha: After the series, Inuyasha and Kagome are married. Inuyasha currently hates Hiei and Kurama of Yu Yu Hakusho due to betrayal by the latter as a child.**

**Fairy Tail: Takes place during the start of the Phantom Lord Arc**

**One Piece: Just before the Sabaody Archipelago Arc; Luffy, Nami, Nico Robin, Zoro, and Usopp have split up from the other Straw Hats for a while to help with the events in this story.**

**The Last Airbender: Post-Western Air Temple; Aang is still a novice at bending fire, earth, and water**

**Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood: Beginning of the series. Ed and Winry are a couple.**

* * *

**Last Time:**** After the afterlife dimension was taken over by the nastiest, evillest coalition of super villains known to man and alien alike, the barriers between our world and the afterlife were nearly shattered, allowing all sorts of baddies to revive themselves by passing through the barrier. However, a badly beaten King Yenma was not going to stand for it. In response to the league of evil, he gathered a group of the greatest heroes the universe has ever seen to combat it, find the seven mystical Dragonballs, and use them to restore the barriers between life and death and eradicate their enemies, new and old. With the Dragonballs appearing one at a time and in random places all over the solar system, no one knows where the next one will show up. With two Dragonballs in their possession already thanks to the perilous Dark Tournament, they are one step closer to their goal. Finding the third Dragonball will not be easy; from knowledge of their new friend Nick Fury, the three star ball is located somewhere on the planet known as Arulok. The group of wizards known by their guild name of Fairy Tail has a bone to pick with a guild known as Phantom Lord, who has decided that their showdown be on the large, icy planet where the next Dragonball is located. Centralized in Konohagakure, a group of forty-five brave heroes including Goku, Naruto, Ichigo, Yusuke, Inuyasha, Natsu, Luffy, Aang, and Edward Elric prepare for the next four months for an out-of-this-world adventure! But will they be enough for a merged Frieza and Cooler, a looming Akatsuki, a powerful dark guild, and the Espada? **

_January first, 105 days until departure_

Sixteen days after the tournament, the Z-fighters and their friends, including Nick Fury, have come home to Konohagakure. The forty-five volunteers of the expedition in one-hundred and five days stepped out into the cold snow of Konohagakure in January. Their feet crunched with every step into the soft but compact snow, and their breaths could be seen with every exhale. Little children ran and laughed through the snow, picking snowball fights and creating snow angels. The weather didn't stop the income of missions, as teams of Shinobi trudged all throughout the city. Anko, Goten, Konohamaru, and Kaede, the blue-haired green-eyed Genin, waved to the volunteers as they walked by. "How's he doing, Anko?" Goku asked, waving to his son.

"They're all doing great." Anko gave him a thumb up. "They all have some spunk! They're getting faster every day!"

Piccolo's head perked up. "Really?" Piccolo fazed out, reappearing behind Goten.

Konohamaru's spine straightened as he felt the large Namekian's presence behind them. "Sensei!"

"Dodge!" Piccolo exclaimed, sending a kick into Goten's back and sending him sailing into the sky.

Goten yelped in pain and whipped around, floating effortlessly in the air while frowning at his teacher. "Piccolo-Sensei? Why'd you go and do that?"

"To see if your speed and chi sensory skills have improved since we last sparred." Piccolo said, "If I was trying to kill you, you would have died."

Goten looked down at the ground feeling ashamed. "Sorry Sensei-"

"Don't apologize." Piccolo said, "But grow stronger so you won't make the same mistake."

Goten bowed. "Yes Sensei."

Piccolo smirked. "Get out of here, kid." He turned towards the roof on one of the buildings fifty feet away, watching as a short, thin teenager with long, jet black hair and a white Kirigakure hunter-nin mask with a red wave where the mouth should be. He sneakily crept towards the edge of the building wearing the Daimao training outfit and long white cape with the wide shoulder pads. "Don't even try it, Haku! Start over!"

"Aggh!" Haku stomped the roof and growled in frustration and fazed out, disappearing from the building.

Goten smiled and dropped to the ground, joining his team and his teacher. "Seriously." Konohamaru said, "You need to teach me how to fly."

"Bye dad! Bye brother!" Goten waved to them as they walked away.

They walked past a clothes store, where Bulma waved to them from inside the window. "Hi, Bulma!" Goku smiled. "Have fun shopping!"

Nick Fury led the forty-five space bound heroes to the Chunin exam preliminary arena. Targets for shiruken practice and dummies for boxing and sword practice were set up all around. "This place will be where we will train you in space flight and your own training room. Your ships will have training rooms as well." He pulled out a key and walked to the center of the arena. "Where is it..." He jammed the key into the ground. "There!" He twisted the key and drew back, pulling out a box with a red and a white button on it. The box was connected with the ground.

Naruto stared at the box quizzically. "What does that do?"

Nick Fury pressed the white button, causing large, orange sirens to blare throughout the arena. "Stand back!" he ordered, stepping away from the box. The box puffed out dust as it slowly spread apart, tearing the ground with it. A large hole formed in the middle, hungrily swallowing the dirt and grass on the arena floor. The tearing soon came to a stop as the sirens died down. "Come on." Nick Fury walked into the hole. "Just a dark stairwell, nothing you guys can't handle."

The forty-five heroes followed Nick down the stairwell. Nick opened the door, letting in the smell of gasoline,smoke, and sweat. "What is that stench?" Lucy asked, holding her nose.

"The scientists here at Quadrant six sector A laboratory have been working for the past day on your shuttles, so be thankful." Nick and the heroes walked into Quadrant six. Sakura looked around, staring at the metal scraps and trinkets littered on the iron crate styled floors painted mint-green, the bright lights on the ceiling, the piles of discarded blueprints in the corner of the bottom floor with assorted fast food garbage. By the look of the rotting, moldy, blue hamburgers, she could tell that whatever these scientists were working on was very important, or that they were just nasty people. There were three levels: the top level they were on, the middle floor connected to the top one via stairway, and the bottom level where the source of the smell came from. "I know it's not very impressive," Nick said, "This rocket launch site doesn't get too much action." Nick Fury walked down the steps to the middle floor. "The training room for the scientists that _do_ work out is down here." Nick Fury led them through a mint-green door and into the training room. Rukia was expecting another surprise, but the training room looked like your typical workout room. Your dumbbells in the corner, your treadmills and bike machines near the wall, a bench for bench pressing, a few yoga balls and mats, a boxing ring, and a television in the upper corner broadcasting CNN. The only thing unusual was a small panel of buttons and knobs on the wall just next to the entrance. A large number one was being displayed in red, along with a small red number seventy next to it and the word "off" above it. A knob was set upright between a red and blue semi-circle, resembling a shower temperature control handle. "As you can see, it hasn't been used much for a while."

"Why are we here?" Hiei said, "I have much more things to do than to waste my time here."

"You're here to get acquainted with your teammates on the expedition." Nick said, "You will fight harder for someone you know than someone you don't."

"Like I'm going to _need_ anyone to help. If they can't handle themselves they shouldn't fight." Hiei scoffed. "Let's get this over with." Hiei folded his arms.

"Who'd like to go first?" Nick opened the door to the training room. "I need to speak with Dr. Rosenbaum and Dr. Bakhar about your ships. Winry Rockbell," Nick Fury pointed to the medium height, slender, light skinned teenage girl with the straight, blonde hair and blue eyes. "You start."

Winry stepped away from the crowd of the forty-four. "Hello, I am Winry Rockbell, I am 15, and I am a surgeon and a mechanical repair specialist."

Winry quickly made her way towards Edward. "We'll go next." Edward said, pulling Alphonse behind him to in front of the rest of the heroes. Edward was short and thin with a slightly muscular build, had long, golden hair, golden eyes, fair, light skin, and wore black jeans and a black tank top with a red-sleeved cape to cover his arms."I am Edward Elric, 15, and this is my brother Alphonse, 14. As you can see, we don't have completely human parts and I'd like to keep the reason behind it personal." Alphonse waved, his voice remaining small compared to the large, intimidating steel exterior his soul was bound to. Edward and Alphonse clapped their hands together, spiking their auras and creating blue electricity between the two. "We're Alchemists." Ed and Alphonse touched the ground and shot their arms back, causing the tiles to raise from the ground and morph into the shape of a fist.

Yusuke smirked. "How come you didn't do that at the tournament?"

"I didn't see you having much time to charge anything!" Ed shot back.

Alphonse tapped his chin. "I seem to remember Yusuke losing most of his fights-"

"Who wants to go next?" Yusuke cut in, blushing from angry embarrassment.

Aang gestured for he and his friends to come up. The five members of Team Avatar centered themselves in the middle of the group. "I am Aang, the last airbender and the Avatar. I am 112."

"You're 112?!" Natsu exclaimed, "How does that even work?!"

"My brother and I found him frozen in ice." Katara was of medium height with long, flowing brown hair, tan skin, and ocean blue eyes. Her brother shared the same skin tone and eye color, but his hair was shaved on the sides, leaving him with a short Mohawk wrapped in a ponytail near the back of his head. They both wore blue outfits similar to an Eskimo's, but they were a bit thinner and made for moving quickly and agilely."I am Katara, a fourteen year old waterbender from the southern water tribe. My brother here is Sokka-"

"Potential warrior and tactical adviser," Sokka cut in, wearing a suave, charming grin and staring directly at Winry. "I enjoy long walks on the beach and playful days in the snow; I know when to be manly and brute yet also have a soft, passionate side that likes to talk about feelings." He smoothed his hair back and sped over to the blonde auto-mail specialist. "So, how about you and-"

Edward cut in, standing in between the two. "Sorry, Winry's not available right now."

Sokka gulped, staring at Edward's red, rolled up sleeves revealing his auto-mail arm. "For someone a year older than me," Katara grabbed Sokka's hand. "you act so immature!"

"Stop fooling around!" Zuko snapped, "We're going to go nowhere if we fool around!" Zuko was a tall, thin, slightly muscular individual with a full suit of black light armor, resembling a stereo typical ninja outfit except his face was uncovered and all of his suit excluding his arms and shins were covered in black, light metal. A large, red burn mark covered his left eye. His eyes were distinctly Chinese and golden in color. He had black, shoulder length hair that was straight and slightly unkempt. His voice was sharp and cold in how he pronounced each word, sadly reminding him of his father, Fire Lord Ozai. "I am Zuko. I'm a sixteen year old firebender of the Fire Nation. My goals are to defeat my father and retain my honor. Don't cross me. You'll regret it."

"Calm down Zuko." Toph was a short and thin, fair-skinned girl with a light skin tone. Toph turned around, thinking she was facing her friends and the other heroes. "I am Toph Bei-fong, a twelve year old earthbender-"

"They're over here." Sokka pointed out, making Toph turn to face them.

"And as you can probably tell," She waved her hand in front of her eyes which were similar to her Hyuuga cousins in color and shape. "I'm blind. I know where I'm going through the vibrations in the earth." She walked back to her friends.

An extremely short, scrawny old man with black eyes, a white, spiked cul-de-sac and mustache led a group of seven wizards from the crowd, ready to introduce themselves. "I am Makarov Dreyar, guild master of Fairy Tail. My S-class mages are Mirajane Strauss," He pointed to the tall, fair-skinned girl with the long wavy white hair and curvy, voluptuous figure with particularly large breasts. She had large blue eyes and wore a sleeveless maroon dress; you wouldn't think she was very powerful at all due to her prettiness. "and Erza Scarlet." Erza Scarlet was also tall and fair skinned with nearly the same figure as Mirajane. Her hair was long and scarlet colored, and her eyes were dark brown. Her outfit consisted of steel armor and gauntlets, a blue skirt, and black knee-high boots. "They are powerful mages for nineteen years old, so please don't cross them. Our other female mage, our celestial Wizard, is Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy had brown eyes and blond hair tied by a blue ribbon a singular bunch to the right side of her head. She had a curvaceous body, and particularly large breasts. She wore a white and blue outfit, comprised of a buttoned down, sleeveless shirt and a navy blue skirt that went down to her mid-thigh with a wide brown belt, and brown knee-high boots. "She, along with Natsu, Gray, and Erza, make up one of the most powerful teams in Fairy Tail history." Gray was tall, lean, and muscular with spiky black hair and dark blue eyes. He wore a pair of dark blue shorts and a necklace, which resembled a sword with a small stone in it. Natsu was slightly shorter than Gray but with the same lean build. He had spiky pink hair and black eyes, and he wore a blue tee shirt and orange pants similar to Goku's.

"And I'm Elfman!" Elfman was a large, muscular man with tan colored skin, whose height caused him to tower over most of the heroes, only third to Alphonse and Piccolo. His long white hair was kept styled upwards in long, wavy spikes, and his dark eyes had no visible eyebrows. His rectangular, elongated face had a stitched scar running down its right side, crossing his right eye. "Man! Man! Fight like a man!" He flexed in his blue, long sleeved shirt and blue slacks.

"Ah- yes." Makarov said, "They're all I have to introduce."

"Why don't the Straw Hat pirates give them our welcome?" Luffy, a tall, slightly tanned, black-haired boy, led four other pirates away from the crowd. "I am Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and future king of the pirates!" He tipped his straw hat. He wore a dark blue vest and red shorts and sandals. "My friend with the short green hair and the three swords at his hip is Roronoa Zoro." Zoro nodded. Zoro was a man of average height and broad muscular build with slightly tanned skin. He wore an opened white shirt with red stripes and black, baggy trousers. "Here is Usopp." Usopp was a slim, somewhat dark-skinned teenager with medium-length black curly hair and a long nose. He wore an olive green plaid bandanna, a blue and white striped armband on his left arm, along with sniper goggles. His outfit consisted of brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath. Slung across his shoulder was a yellow satchel. A black sniper rifle was slung across his other shoulder with a long barrel and large scope. "And finally, we can't forget Nami and Nico Robin!" Nami was a young, medium height, and skinny girl with orange hair, light skin, and light brown eyes. She had a slim, curvy figure and large breasts. Nami wore a orange shirt with an orange floral pattern, white short shorts, and high-heeled sandals. "Nami is our navigator. Nico is our archaeologist." Nico Robin was a tall, slender, yet athletic woman with shoulder-length black hair and breasts slightly larger than Nami's. Her eyes were blue with dark, wide pupils and she has a long, thin and defined nose. Robin's skin tone is slightly darker than Nami's. Robin's limbs were very long, especially her legs, contributing greatly to her height, and like Nami, she had a narrow waist. She wore a black outfit consisting of a cowboy hat, a cleavage-revealing sleeveless shirt, with a wide, yellow collar, matching pants reaching down to her calves, and purple high-heeled Mary Janes. "We're done I guess, Inuyasha, why don't you go?"

Makarov looked Nico Robin up and down. _I would love to see her in Sorcerer Magazine!_

Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo broke away from the group. "I am Inuyasha." Inuyasha was tall and sported cat-like ears and long white hair and yellow eyes, the cat ears being contradictory to him being a dog demon. He and his friends wore kimonos from feudal Japan, his being baggy red. "This is Kagome." Kagome waved. She was short and thin with a slender build, light skin, brown eyes, and long black hair. "The monk is Miroku." Miroku was tall and wore a dark purple kimono. He had black eyes with short hair tied in a ponytail in the back. "The bounty hunter is Sango." Sango was tall light skinned, and had dark brown eyes. Her long, brown hair was tied up into a ponytail and her bangs were parted at the middle of her forehead. She wore a dark red kimono that stuck to her skin, flaunting her athletic build. "And here is Shippo." Shippo was young, short, and thin. He had light skin, light, medium-length brown hair tied with a blue bow forming a wide ponytail, and had bright, playful blue eyes. He wore a light blue kimono and baggy sweatpants with a hole in the back where a large, puffy tail popped out from. "Well that was fun. Yusuke, go ahead."

The four psychics-in-training broke away from the group as Inuyasha and his friends rejoined it. Inuyasha spitefully glared at Hiei and Kurama, who pretended he didn't notice. Yusuke Urameshi was a boy of average height with slightly tanned skin like Luffy, with brown eyes and glossy black hair. He had a lean, slightly muscular build, and wore his trademark outfit, consisting of a green jumpsuit with small yellow buttons and black shoes. "I'm Yusuke Urameshi and I'm fifteen years old." He smirked. "The tall guy with the orange pompadour and the stupid grin is Kuwabara."

"Who are you calling stupid, Urameshi?!" Kuwabara yelled, putting up his fists. Kuwabara wore a blue version of what Yusuke was wearing, but for a taller, broader, person in which Kuwabara was. Kuwabara had high cheek bones and narrow, gray eyes.

"I believe he called _you_ stupid," Hiei smirked. "Stupid."

"Coming from the short blunt with the spiky hair!" Kuwabara shot back, "You wanna go, Hiei?"

"Just get the hell on with it!" another muscular, short person with spiky hair barked, "We're going to spend more time talking than we are training!"

Kuwabara growled and folded his arms. Hiei smirked. "I am Hiei Jaganshi." Hiei was short and lean, but had a lean, muscular body with light-tan colored skin and red, menacing eyes. He wore a white strip of cloth around his forehead and baggy, black pants and shoes similar to a Shaolin monk's. Apparently twenty degrees in Konoha didn't translate to wearing heavier clothing. "Here is Kurama." Kurama was tall and thin with long, fiery red hair and emerald colored eyes. He wore a pink jumpsuit similar to Yusuke's, but with gold trimmings on the end of his sleeves and his slacks.

_He can't be Kurama,_ Naruto compared the tailed beast to the Kurama in front of him. "You can't be Kurama!" Naruto smirked. "I know Kurama and I know that he wouldn't dress in pink!"

Kurama stared quizzically at the adolescent Shinobi. "Oh yeah; you're my demon form's Jinchiruki," He smirked. "Interesting, I thought he had killed you off trying to destroy this village."

Naruto grit his teeth. "Well, you're wrong!"

"I saw it vanish during the attack that night." Kurama said, "I forgot that the Uzumaki clan is a resilient one."

Naruto growled. "How do you know my name?"

"I became involved with your great grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, a couple years before she met that Senju. By the way, Inuyasha, Hiei, and I are over two thousand years old, just so it makes a bit more sense." Kurama said, smiling at nearly everyone's flabbergasted expressions. "I went under the name of Shuichi Minamino while traveling through the Land of Fire. I stumbled upon Konohagakure, and Mito Uzumaki. Once we grew intimate enough, I revealed who I really was. That's when she left me, provoking me with enough anger to permanently leave my mark. A mark that would pass down to you."

Naruto clenched his fists and spiked his aura. "You... you-"

"Naruto!" Kakashi grabbed his shoulder. "Your time to be angry has passed. You are Kurama's Jinchiruki, meaning he relies on you for energy right now. Without you, he's nothing." He glared at Kurama. "You remember that." He and Naruto turned around, joining the other three leaf village ninja. The group was once again silent, some shifting their feet uncomfortably.

Uryu cleared his throat. "And on that note,"

"Right." Ichigo led Chad, Uryu, Orihime, and Rukia away from the crowd, ready to introduce themselves to the group. They all wore similar uniforms: a white buttoned down shirt with a black tie, gray slacks, and black dress shoes, except Orihime and Rukia wore gray skirts and white knee-high stocks and Mary Jane shoes. Ichigo was a fairly tall, lean-built young man with peach skin and brown eyes and straight orange hair that spiked just a little bit at the ends. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, a sixteen year old student of Karakura High School. My friend here is known by Chad; he's also sixteen and goes to Karakura High." Chad was a teenager of Mexican descent. He was dark-skinned with wavy brown hair that hung over his brown eyes. He was a muscular and extremely tall adolescent, making him appear to be much older than he actually was.

"I am Uryu Ishida." Uryū Ishida was a teenager of average height. He had straight, chin-length, raven-colored hair framing both sides of his face, and was fair-skinned with blue eyes. He pushed his thin-framed glasses up near his face. "I'm a Quincy; a seventeen year old magic hunter."

Inuyasha scoffed. "You hunt magic? Like oh-no-my-leprechaun-ran-away type of hunt?"

Uryu smirked. "I hunt demons too."

"How about we not fight before we get to know each other." Rukia cut in; short and petite, Rukia had light skin, violet-colored eyes and black hair, with several strands of hair hanging between her eyes. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki; I'm just your average girl with no special abilities, really."

"She's very pretty and smart," Ichigo smiled. "Don't let her fool you, she's a really good fighter."

Orihime winced at every compliment Ichigo gave Rukia; each word pierced her heart even deeper. '''

"What are you talking about?" Rukia persisted, "I can barely run a lap in gym! What made you think I was a fighter?"

Goku smirked. "All that high spirit energy and nothing to do with it. You could be lying to us; your chi is similar to Ichigo's in the way it's concentrated throughout your body."

Rukia cocked an eyebrow, staring quizzically at the tall, muscular man in the blue tee shirt and orange baggy pants. "I have no idea what you just said."

"Give it up, Rukia." Ichigo said, "He can sense high levels of chi."

"I really have no idea." Rukia continued, "I know nothing about chi-"

"He taught me how to sense chi too, Rukia." Ichigo said, "It's pointless to hide what we are now. I've already told them that I was a Shinigami, so you might as well tell them too."

"I won't get in trouble for that!" Rukia snapped, "Good luck with Soul Society Law!"

"Please," Ichigo laughed. "I believe they're gonna leave me alone for a while after saving you from execution!"

"Don't push it, Ichigo!" Rukia scowled and folded her arms.

Ichigo looked over at the average height, well endowed, brown-eyed girl with the long, burnt-orange hair reaching down to her waist, staring awkwardly at the ground. "I am Orihime." she said with a soft voice. "I'm a very good healer; I'm not that good of a fighter."

"Perhaps I can teach you how!" A tall boy with a lean build in a green jumpsuit and sandals with light skin, black hair and big, bushy eyebrows flipped over the crowd. "The Handsome Devil: Rock Lee at your service!"

Naruto smiled. "I guess it's our turn." Naruto was a tall boy with light, fair skin, spiky blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. He had a lean, slightly muscular build hidden under orange pants and an orange and blue jacket. He and the three other ninja accompanying him joined Rock Lee. "I am Naruto Uzumaki. I never go back on my word and never run away! That's my nindo, my ninja way! Believe it!" The tall, pink haired girl with the slender figure and bright green eyes giggled.

_That's Naruto for you..._ "I'm Sakura Haruno. Pleased to meet you all."

"H-hi. My name is Hinata." said a soft, shy voice.

"Stop hiding Hinata," Naruto grabbed her around the shoulder, making her blush. "You're among friends here." Hinata was tall with light, flawless skin, light lavender eyes and dark blue, waist length hair. She wore a loose fitting, long-sleeved, lavender and cream zip-up jacket with lavender cuffs over mesh armor with navy blue pants and black, low-heeled sandals. Her Konohagakure forehead protector was strapped around her right thigh.

Naruto caught himself staring at Hinata's curvy figure and particularly large breasts and quickly looked away. He giggled a little bit, comparing his slightly perverted deed to Jiraiya and Tsunade, remembering on how the Hokage would bat pervy-sage on the head. "What's so funny?" she asked, _Naruto started laughing when he looked at me..._ Her knees shook from being nervous and feeling ridiculed. _Wait... Naruto's arm is around my shoulder still..._ She blushed.

Naruto, oblivious to Hinata's blushing, introduced his Sensei. "Finally, this is Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi was a tall, fit, lean-built Shinobi with light, fair skin and spiky light-gray hair. He wore a black mask over his mouth, nose, and left eye, with his forehead protector tilted to cover his left eye as well as the mask, only showing his right eye. He wore the standard leaf village flak jacket with the dark blue jumpsuit and sandals. He quickly waved to the other heroes. "So I guess we're done-"

"You're forgetting to introduce the highest ranking person here, student of Kakarot." A short, lean, muscular man with onyx eyes, tan skin and jet-black, spiky hair bunching into one point at the top revealing his prominent widow's peak swaggered away from the group.

Trunks rolled his eyes. _Dad..._ Trunks, Gohan, Piccolo, and Goku followed the Saiyan Prince.

"I am Vegeta," Vegeta wore a tight blue jumpsuit under his armor, which comprised of a white, lightweight chest plate with dark yellow shoulder pads that jutted out over his shoulders like spikes, but they were widely rounded at the tips. He wore white gloves and white boots with the same material the shoulder pads were made with at the toes, like steel-toed boots. A long, dark-brown, furry tail whipped freely from where his tailbone should have been through a hole in the back of the blue jumpsuit. "the Prince of all Saiyans!" he folded his arms, smirking as if he won something. "Next in line to the throne is my son, Trunks."

Trunks just shook his head. The teenage hybrid between human and Saiyan was tall, the second tallest of the five Z-fighters with Piccolo being the tallest. Trunks was tan-skinned, had electric blue eyes and straight, waist-length, light-purple hair. He wore baggy black pants and light brown boots. His muscular build was hidden underneath a black tank-top and a blue, long-sleeved jacket. A steel longsword was sheathed in a leather case slung across his back. Like his father, a furry, brown tail hung from his tailbone. "Yes, I am the heir to the right to rule the Saiyan race, the most powerful species in the universe." he droned, like he had to say this before.

"I'm Son Gohan, and this is my teacher, Piccolo." Both master and student wore baggy purple pants and purple vests with the Daimao kanji on the back. Their attire also consisted of long white capes with broad shoulder pads reaching down to the back of their knees and brown moccasins. Gohan was a tall, fair-skinned adolescent with a toned, muscular build, short, spiky, black hair, and nearly-black colored eyes. His silent Sensei, Piccolo, was an extremely tall, broad, bald Namekian with dark green skin and two antennae just above his dark colored eyes. He had light-pink oval shaped tissue under a thin layer of skin on each forearm. He towered over everyone in the room, causing everyone to have to look up to see his face.

"I guess I'm the only one left," The tall, muscular, slightly tanned man with the spiky, messy hair said, "I am Son Goku." Goku bowed, as he did when he met anyone new. Goku wore baggy, orange pants and a blue, short-sleeved tee-shirt and a bright, orange vest sporting the _Kame_ kanji.

The door to the training room flew open as Nick Fury and two other scientists stepped into the room. "Good!" Nick exclaimed, "You guys haven't killed each other!" He turned around. "Follow me, I will show you where your daily flight training will commence." Once again, the heroes followed Nick to another region of the laboratory/launch site. Nick led them down another flight of stairs to the ground level where they were scientists and welders and mechanics rushed all around the lab, working intently on the shuttles. Nick pressed a series of buttons on a pad near a wall. "There we are." He stepped back as a small portion of the wall, enough for one person at a time to fit through, opened revealing a second dark tunnel. Nick Fury quickly vanished into the tunnel.

"What's the matter?" Vegeta followed into the tunnel after the S.H.I.E.L.D commander. "Are you guys scared of a little darkness?"

"Man! I will not be scared as a man!" Elfman plunged into the tunnel.

"You cannot frighten the Springtime of Youth!" Lee ran into the tunnel as well.

Hiei growled out of annoyance. "I believe you're in no position to call anyone here scared."

Vegeta reappeared from the tunnel, directly in front of Hiei. "I am, actually."

Hiei smirked. "I dare you to ask-"

"Are. You. Scared?" Vegeta folded his arms, expecting nothing back from the Jaganshi.

"Oh great," Goku said, "Let's leave them to figure this out." Goku levitated a ball of bright, white chi above his hand. Goku led all except Vegeta, Hiei, Kurama, and Trunks into the tunnel.

"I will not be made a fool of!" Hiei snarled, cocking his fist back. Trunks and Kurama locked eyes for a moment and nodded. Kurama grabbed Hiei by the legs, hefting the fuming demon and racing into the cave. "You put me down!" Hiei yelled, disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel.

"I know you're not about to try that with me." Vegeta said, "But by all means, try and-"

"Let's go, dad!" Trunks ran into the pitch black, leaving his father alone.

"How dare he walk away from me..." the Saiyan Prince grumbled, following after.

"Finally." Nick pushed a door open, letting waves of light and dust into the tunnel. "Sorry about the long walk."

Elfman and Lee peeked inside. "What is this place?"

The room was cold and large with a very high ceiling. "It smells like seared steak in here." Goku's stomach growled. "That reminds me," he moaned as his stomach rumbled. "I haven't eaten all day." He looked around the room. A large clock-like mechanism sat in the center of the room; it was comprised of nine large rods connected to a slightly raised, circular base, and the rods had a large pod attached to the end of each rod. Higher up in the room were nine groups of five seats in a glass, transparent orb with a panel of buttons and controls, all attached to moving crane-like arms.

"Good." Nick said, "You'll be the first to practice G-force training."

The other forty-two filed into the room, some holding their noses and others' stomachs rumbling. "All of you are here." He pointed to the large clock-like mechanism in the center. "This is your G-force simulator. On takeoff, you will experience three to four G's. This fun little ride is here to help you with that by, hence its name, simulating real G-forces. The glass orbs assorted on the cranes are to simulate space flight. There will be a captain, a pilot, a navigator, a front gunner and a back gunner. First, we must evaluate how many G-forces you can handle before you officially begin training." He smirked. "Who would like to go first?"

**Slow chapter, I know, but it will heat up soon ;)**


	2. Attack on the Bunker

**I own nothing**

**A/N: Jugo is part of Hebi before the Itachi Pursuit arc.**

Sasuke shivered. Sasuke was a tall, lean adolescent with pale skin, black hair, black eyes, and wore, like the rest of his group, stolen brown Saiyan armor similar in shape to Vegeta's. Karin huddled closer to him, even though he told her to stay away numerous times. Karin was tall and also pale skinned with red eyes under thick-rimmed glasses and long, unkempt, red hair. "So," Suigetsu stepped from the space capsule and crunched into the white, powdery snow. Suigetsu was tall and pale-skinned with white hair and purple eyes. "This is Arulok. You said that Frieza and Cooler have joined forces right? They call themselves Kuuzer now?" He shielded his eyes. "The sun here is bright!"

Jugo smirked. "That's who we are trying to find." Jugo was the largest of the group, towering over the rest. He had spiky orange hair, red-orange eyes and a calm, peaceful facial expression. His skin was slightly darker than the others, but he doubted that it would stay like that very long.

"What's our plan again?" Suigetsu asked.

"We join the ranks of Kuuzer, find the Dragonball, then get the hell off of this frozen rock." Sasuke led team Hebi through the snow. "If we can, we kill Naruto and the rest of them and take the six star ball and the one star ball. We'll skip a few steps in gaining enough power to destroy anything in our path, including Orochimaru and Itachi plus the whole damned Akatsuki."

"They should be just two miles out." Karin said, picking up the pace.

"The trees are white with blue leaves?" Suigetsu gawked at the giant evergreen-like trees that they quickly maneuvered around.

"You find that weird yet not the black mountains." Jugo said, "Remember, this isn't Earth."

"You don't say?" Suigetsu retorted, "Red bushes and teal sky? I _definitely_ thought it was-"

"Stop." Sasuke said, stopping the four before they jumped over a black-rock cliff that had been frozen over with in ice. Sasuke looked over the edge, careful not to slip and plunge at least seven stories to his death.

Suigetsu looked over the edge. "We could survive that jump."

"It's not the jump." Sasuke pointed over to a small group of black, trapezoid-shaped houses with circular windows on the sides arranged in a circle.

"A village." Suigetsu's stomach rumbled. "We haven't eaten since we hijacked the spaceship."

"Look!" Jugo pointed towards the village. "Something's coming from the village!" A short, fat pale-skinned elf-like creature with long, black, curly hair ran from one of the houses, followed by a giant, purple, slimy, muscly being with a white mask resembling a screaming face.

"Let's fight it!" Jugo snarled, his skin now a dark gray tone.

"Let's just go around." Sasuke said, "If there is a bigger fight approaching then we can't use up our energy here-"

"Hey guys, I found the ship!" A deep, scaly voice bellowed from behind the forest.

"On second thought," he pulled his sword from its sheath on his hip. "I could use some exercise." Team Hebi leaped from the cliff, racing towards the monster. "Hey!" Sasuke barked, catching the beast's attention.

Sasuke fazed (moved so quickly it seems like he disappeared) out and reappeared above the monster, slamming his heel into its face. Karin swooned. "Look at Sasuke fighting the big monster isn't he just gorgeous?"

"Tch." Suigetsu fazed out, partially to join the fight and partially to get away from Karin. He unsheathed his sword: a giant broadsword with a hole near the tip and one near the handle, resembling a large butcher knife. Suigetsu let out a battle cry and sliced through the beast's midsection, smirking as it ceased its shrieking. Sasuke hopped back and sheathed his blade.

"Finished already?" Sasuke taunted, watching as the beast's upper-half fell to the ground.

"Th-thank you!" The pale-skinned elf ran up to them. "How may I ever repay you?"

"Get lost." Suigetsu hefted his sword on his back. "Before I cut you too."

The elf grinned and nodded, scurrying inside his home. Sasuke turned towards Karin. "Karin, point us in the right direction again."

Karin nodded and pointed up a hill. "That hill about 150 feet out and then we've reached them."

"Good." Jugo smiled. "Let's go."

As they approached the top of the hill, the sound of murmuring grew louder. "Are we here?" Suigetsu looked over the hill, where hundreds of different creatures all in the same brown armor he was wearing, formed a circle around a short, scrawny alien with purplish skin, wearing a blue version of the Saiyan armor. His face was lavender colored with black, slit shaped eyes and two, black horns sticking from where his ears should have been. His bald scalp was black and shiny; one could see his own reflection from it.

"Lord Kuuzer," A fat, pink, short alien with spikes on his head said, "Should we start the evaluations for the five new elite teams?"

"Idiot!" A tall, muscular, green alien with long green hair snapped. "We've been over this, Dodoria."

"Well sorry Zarbon." Dodoria folded his arms. "I'm growing impatient."

"You don't get to be impatient, fool." A tall, slender, fair-skinned girl with long black hair and golden eyes snapped, "You're well aware that my assassins and I have the permission to burn you to a crisp."

"Yes, Azula." Dodoria smirked. "I must warn you: I have the power to kill you too."

"Ha!" A tall, fair-skinned man with long brown hair in a ponytail grabbed the alien by the throat. "Status does not necessarily equal power!"

Dodoria gritted his teeth and pried the man's hand off of his throat. "My apologies, Solf J Kimblee."

"Don't apologize to me," Solf said, "Apologize to her."

"I'm sorry." Dodoria grumbled.

Azula smirked deviously. "I can't hear you."

"I'm sorry princess Azula of the Fire Nation, elite in Kuuzer's army." Dodoria clenched his fists as he swallowed his pride.

"That's better." Solf laughed. "Was that so-"

"Stop teasing him." Kuuzer snapped with his shrill, metallic voice, causing Kimblee and Azula to shudder.

"That's Lord Kuuzer?" Jugo's vision of Kuuzer completely contradicted what Kuuzer was. He imagined this large, intimidating powerhouse, not a scrawny, sickly alien that looked like he should be bed-ridden. "That can't be!"

"It doesn't matter." Sasuke said, "We stick to the plan." The four ran down the hill, quickly disappearing in the crowd of low ranking Saiyan armor.

"Recruits of lower ranks!" Kuuzer barked, silencing the crowds of eager recruits. "All of you have come this far in our exams, and I congratulate you on doing so! We have narrowed down the elite qualifications to a number of forty groups, including our youngest team: Team Griijakku!"

"Those things we killed on the ship!" Karin's eyes widened. "We're Griijakku!"

Suigetsu smirked. "Good."

"All of you may qualify for the elite status and join our special ops, the Ginyu Force, in rank!" A tall, pale-skinned man with short, red hair and brown eyes said, "But you must pass their expectations!"

"Sasori..." Sasuke looked the tall redhead up and down in his Akatsuki robes. "How the hell did they get here?"

"I am Sasori." the Akatsuki member said, stepping to the side as a tall, lanky man wearing an elongated white mask covered with eight holes and elite Saiyan armor, similar in shape and color to Vegeta's. "My associate here is Aaroniero."

"Hello runts!" A deep, brash voice said behind the mask. "Well you didn't need to call them runts!" a high pitched, British accent scolded also from behind the mask. The deep, brash voice growled. "Oh you shut up!"

"Hmph." Aaroniero folded his arms and turned his head.

The entire group of recruits fell silent, not sure how to react to Aaroniero's split personality. "The Ginyu force should be here-"

The screech of an amplifier caused everyone to cringe. They turned towards the source. Five men stood on a raised metal platform with five amps, slowly descending towards the ground. Kuuzer shook his head and blushed. "Not this again..."

The lead singer, a tall, muscular, purple alien with black horns on the side of his head, tapped his microphone. He played an electronic keyboard with a large banner hanging off of it in style of their insignia: a white, upside-down "A" that came to a point at each corner. His lead guitarist, an extremely tall, muscular, blue alien with glowing, red eyes and a strip of hard, brown, scales running down his scalp like a Mohawk, played a few chords on an Ibanez-like guitar with 24 frets and a long, black whammy bar. The bass guitarist was tall, muscular, light skinned, and had bright orange hair that was shaved around the sides, giving him no sideburns. His guitar was orange and in the shape of a Stratocaster, with 22 frets and five strings instead of four. The rhythm guitarist was short, thin, had cherry-red skin, and long, white, 80's style hair-band hair. His guitar was red like his skin, and looked like an exact copy of Slash's Gibson guitar but with 23 frets. Finally, their drummer was short, stout, and green. He had four, black eyes and had small, black pores dotting his whole body. They all wore white and brown Saiyan armor, but with the Ginyu insignia on the front and back. "Hello Arulok!" The purple singer cleared his throat. "This is a special song that we sing to the recruits that make it this far; we hope to see all of you among us." He smirked. "By the way, if you're wondering how our amps work, they are on as long as the user charges it with his or her chi every hour." His voice was brash and distorted, like he had been sick with strep throat for a while.

"What are they doing?" Suigetsu asked.

"Apparently," Jugo chuckled. "I think we're about to be serenaded."

Something peculiar that each of the Ginyu force had in common caught his eye. "On their necks." he said, "Curse seals. Every single one."

"We've seen seals and the Akatsuki everywhere." Karin recalled, "You don't think-"

"Everyone ready to rock!?" the lead singer asked, getting awkward silence from the recruits. "Guldo," He pointed to the drummer. "Let's kick it!"

Guldo tapped his drumsticks together. "One, two, three, four!" The five started belting out power chords. "Yeah!" Guldo exclaimed with a brash, nasally voice, executing a drum fill. The beat was fast and progressive and the guitar riffs were like they were ripped from an unpublished Twisted Sister track.

The bass guitarist leaned towards the microphone as the other instruments softened.

_Hello my name is Recoome,_

_I send my enemies to their dooms,_

_and strike fear into anyone_

_that may oppose..._

He had a strong, German accent. He took a breath and continued.

_I never back down from a fight_

_I am known as the Pillar of Might_

_Don't try and fight me _

_it's futile I will win!_

The lead guitarist played a quick riff and stepped towards his microphone.

_My name is Burter and _

_I am the fastest thing alive_

_Known as a Hurricane_

_bring on the rain and pain,_

He had a sharp, raspy voice, like he belonged in a screamo band. All five took a quick breath before they all sung in unison:

_Yes we are!_

_We have just arrived_

_Fresh for the fight_

_They're messin' with the elites_

_we'll teach them a thing or two_

_No match for the Toukusentai!_

_They will not get out alive_

_Like a hand in a hive_

_they'll feel our mighty sting_

_We're arriving on the scene,_

_The Ginyu Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

They fell into different poses while singing as they repeated the beginning riff over again. The rhythm guitarist with the red skin and white hair stepped up to the microphone. "Oi!" he exclaimed with a thick, Australian accent.

_Oi my name is Jeice,_

_I am the second in command_

_my attacks will burn you to a crisp..._

_My nickname is the "Red Magma"_

_If you can't stand the heat_

_Then just go home!_

_But if you want to fight_

_I'll gladly oblige!_

The drummer played a second improvisation and slowly inched toward the microphone.

_Guldo_

_Yeah, that's me_

_my power is that I can stop time_

_so you_

_better watch out_

_for your lives..._

The five sung in unison:

_Yes we are!_

_We have just arrived_

_Fresh for the fight_

_They're messin' with the elites_

_we'll teach them a thing or two_

_No match for the Toukusentai!_

_They will not get out alive_

_Like a hand in a hive_

_they'll feel our mighty sting_

_We're arriving on the scene,_

_The Ginyu Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

Burter fell into another pose as he started playing a solo. His hands glided up and down the neck so fast that his neck started smoking from the friction. Burter's guitar expertise puts guitar solos from bands like Metallica, Dragonforce, and Iron Maiden to shame.

"Please tell me the song is almost over." Sasuke covered his ears.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about!" Jugo said, "This is awesome!"

"Whatever Sasuke dislikes, I dislike too." Karin covered her ears as well.

"I'm getting Burter's autograph." Suigetsu smirked.

_I am the Captain, Ginyu_

_My fighting style _

_is unmatched_

_I have a record of ninety to zero..._

_I am the master of dancing skill_

_I spin I leap then go for the kill_

_But if you_

_prove that you_

_are powerful_

_I'd gladly switch bodies! _

_You should be honored_

_because not many get to fight us_

_Your welcome_

_for that beating_

_You are about to receive..._

The five prepared to sing in unison again:

_Yes we are!_

_We have just arrived_

_Fresh for the fight_

_They're messin' with the elites_

_we'll teach them a thing or two_

_No match for the Toukusentai!_

_They will not get out alive_

_Like a hand in a hive_

_they'll feel our mighty sting_

_We're arriving on the scene,_

_The Ginyu Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

_Yes we are!_

_We have just arrived_

_Fresh for the fight_

_They're messin' with the elites_

_we'll teach them a thing or two_

_No match for the Toukusentai!_

_We are the best_

_better than the rest_

_get ready to feel the rage_

_Your worst mistake was this:_

_We are the Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

_Toukusentai!_

Guldo played a quick drum solo as the Ginyu force bowed, receiving a large uproar in applause. Ginyu smiled. "Now, to the tests! You guys ready?"

"You guys are the Special Forces?" A tall, male teen with pale skin, teal eyes, and gray hair stepped up on the platform, also dressed in brown Saiyan armor. "I can't believe you."

Ginyu laughed. "You wanna brawl? Wait until you've won your bracket!"

"The final portion of your exams will go like this:" Recoome said, "We divide all forty groups into five different brackets, meaning eight teams per bracket. You'll fight in ladder style tournaments and the prevailing team of each bracket becomes elites. Any questions?" No one dared to raise his hand. "Good! Eight teams follow one of us." The teams shuffled, still needing direction. "Now!" Recoome barked.

"To the captain?" Suigetsu asked.

Sasuke nodded. "To the captain."

Hebi joined the mass of other groups moving towards Captain Ginyu. "That's close enough!" Ginyu barked, bringing the groups to a halt. "Everyone form a circle! Pick the leaders of your group and put them in the center!" Sasuke stepped forward. Ginyu grinned. "Eager, the young Kiroku is."

Sasuke looked at his competition. Seven musclebound freaks glared at one another and Sasuke. "Captain Ginyu, why don't I just take all seven on at the same time?"

Ginyu laughed. "Eager, are we?"

Sasuke nodded. "I'll let them attack first."

One of the freaks threw a punch toward Sasuke's face. "You little-"

Sasuke leaned back and pulled out his sword, chopping through the freak's stomach. Sasuke drew his sword back and thrust again, impaling the freak's brain. Another freak charged toward him. Sasuke jumped into the air and whipped around, decapitating the freak. The five team leaders surrounded the Uchiha. "Get that punk!"

All five charged towards Sasuke, charging their special chi attacks. Sasuke fazed out, disappearing from view. Ginyu chuckled. "You show some potential, Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"Kuuzer's been tracking you and your team this whole time. You think we don't know the difference between you guys and Griijakku? Your power levels are three times as high!" Ginyu frowned. "Finish them already!"

Sasuke darted around in the snow, making quick work of the five using his agility and his slick blade. Sasuke fazed out again, thrusting his sword towards Ginyu's face. Ginyu sidestepped and pivoted ninety degrees and whipped his elbow back, sending Sasuke tumbling to the ground with the elbow strike. "Tell me ho you know!" Sasuke rolled to his feet and charged, swiping violently at the elite. "Did Sasori have anything to do with this?"

"Energy trackers inside of the ships." Ginyu smirked, barely dodging a downward swipe. "Only those familiar with Kuuzer and his army get to know who the new candidates are!"

"He's with Kuuzer!" Sasuke barked, drawing the attention of some other soldiers and candidates. "He informed you we were coming!"

Ginyu ducked another slash and threw a sweep kick, putting the Uchiha off of his feet. Ginyu rolled behind Sasuke and rose to his feet, cocking his heel into the air. "I've had enough of you! Lights out, elite!" He slammed his heel down onto Sasuke's face, knocking him out cold.

Karin gasped. "Sasuke!" She growled and clenched her fists. "No one hurts _my_ Sasuke-" A large, gloved finger jabbed her temple.

"Nighty-night." said the heavy Russian-accented brute owning the finger.

"Nice stealth, Recoome!" Ginyu held out his hand in the air. "High five!"

"Yeah!" Recoome ran past him, not daring to leave his captain hanging.

"Now." Ginyu laughed as Suigetsu and Jugo fell into their stances, ready to fight. "Burter, Jeice, please."

The large, blue alien appeared directly next to Suigetsu, sending a blur of punches and kicks into the young swordsman. Jugo cocked his fist back. "Stop hurting us you-" Ginyu reappeared, planting his knee into Jugo's stomach. Jugo arched over the captain's knee.

"Sorry," Ginyu sent a palm strike into Jugo's face, sending the largest member of team Hebi barreling into the air.

"Jugo!" Suigetsu was sent spiraling to the ground after a well placed punch hit his head, sending him drifting into unconsciousness.

Ginyu fazed out once again, reappearing above Jugo with his elbow cocked upward. "Haha!" Ginyu brought his elbow down onto Jugo's forehead, dizzying the large teen's vision. "This will finish you!" Ginyu fired a large yellow wave of chi into Jugo's stomach, slamming him into the ground. Ginyu landed on his feet. "Get them to the infirmary." Ginyu said, heading towards the other elite trials. Several Saiyan soldiers hefted all of Hebi onto their backs and flew off. "Recoome."

"Yes Captain?" Recoome replied.

"Who has the most potential of your group?" Ginyu watched as a pale-skinned teen with a long, white blade similar to a bone sliced through a musclebound feline-humanoid with gray fur.

"The group of Otogakure ninja." Recoome smirked. "I haven't seen a group of humans fair against aliens of any kind in a long time."

"Huh." Ginyu chuckled. "The Sound Five's stronger than you thought?"

"All of the strongest teams in almost every group are made of humans." Burter said, "The winners of mine are Jose Porla's wizards. Gajeel, Sol, Totomaru, Aria, and Juvia all show potential. A group of human psychics- the Sensui Seven- completely mopped the floor with the other teams Jeice was monitoring."

"What about Guldo's teams?" Jeice asked, "Two groups fighting for the title of elite right now!"

"Fun." Recoome said, "I love cockfights."

A wide grin spread across Burter's face. "More like you just plain love-"

"Finish that sentence!" Recoome barked, "I dare you!"

Burter laughed and patted his friend on the back. "I was only joking."

"It's about time you slowpokes got here." Guldo saluted to Ginyu. "But you've missed the fun."

"Who won then?" Jeice asked.

"Group of demons known as the Band of Seven." Guldo said, "A very peculiar group of fighters if you ask me; they're not what you'd expect of elites."

"Don't worry." Ginyu smirked. "We'll whip them into shape."

"Is it time for training?" Recoome asked, grinning with anticipation.

"Yes it is, Recoome." Ginyu said, "Wake Sasuke and his team."

* * *

"That's it for today." Nick Fury said, shutting down the flight simulators. "The scientists are catching some shut-eye and they don't trust you in here even with me monitoring you."

"It's over Natsu," Lucy said, stepping out of one of the pods on the g-force simulator. "You can stop throwing up now."

"So that's what taking off in a spacecraft is like huh?" Natsu dizzily clambered from the pod.

"Don't worry." Makarov climbed out as well, seemingly unfazed by the immense speeds they had just experienced. "You'll only have to do this twice once we go to Arulok."

"It's over?" Goku sighed. "But it was just getting good!"

"You mean you enjoyed this?" Gray said, barely holding in his breakfast.

"Yeah!" Elfman pumped his fist into the air. "What a rush!"

"I call first ride tomorrow!" Lee exclaimed, leaping from the simulator.

"They aren't rides." Erza said, "They're training equipment! Take this seriously!"

"Yeah guys." Trunks said, hopping from one of the flight training simulators. "We only have one hundred and five days to get ready for a voyage into space. We may not come back."

With that sentence, all of the positive emotions rushed out of the door along with Nick Fury. "Don't talk like that." Vegeta scolded, "Doubting your abilities is sure to produce failure."

Inuyasha snorted. "Is that why you're so arrogant?"

"You're one to talk!" Vegeta snapped, "It's not arrogance either! It's pride!"

"Is _that_ what he calls it?" Hiei smirked.

"My pride is the reason I'm stronger than most of you in here!" Vegeta folded his arms.

"Then how about an arm wrestle?" Elfman proposed, "Outside! Prove your manliness!"

"I don't see how this will help," Vegeta said, "but fine."

"We can't focus on petty little quarrels like this." Piccolo headed towards the door. "We need to get up there now."

"What's the rush?" Mirajane asked, "Like Trunks said, we have time until we have to go."

"It's not that." Piccolo turned to his friends. "High levels of dark spiritual energy are gathered around the launch site."

"How can you tell?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah..." Goku's expression was unsettled now in contrast to his carefree smile he casually wore a minute ago. "I sense it too."

"Finally." Zoro unsheathed his swords. "Something interesting."

Goku and Piccolo led the rest of the heroes out of the door, through the laboratory and up to the entrance. "Quiet down." Piccolo ordered, "I sense at least a hundred."

"Outside the door." Gohan added, slowly raising his aura.

"Have Goku transport us outside the stadium." Ichigo said, "We're sitting ducks if we go through here. Only three at a time will fit through."

"How is he going to transport us?" Makarov folded his arms. "The door is the only way out."

"He can teleport." Yusuke said.

"But that denies the laws of physics!" Lucy argued.

"Air will take up the empty space that is left by us." Edward said, "The whole theory on teleportation is a paradox-"

"Let's just swarm 'em." Natsu proposed, "They won't expect all of us to go as a-" An explosion from above them shook the ground, spraying dirt on everyone.

"Done planning!" Toph threw a punch towards the door, causing a large chunk of rock to slam the door open.

"Damn it." Piccolo shook his head as everyone brushed past him.

"Where are they?" Nami asked, seeing only the empty seats of the stadium illuminated by the large headlights.

A baritone screech rocked the entire arena, followed by a chorus of deep to high demonic screeches, making the air cold and sending chills up everyone's spines. "Hollows?" Uryu said, notching an arrow on his bow.

"We're surrounded." Ichigo and Rukia unsheathed their swords.

Orihime and Chad looked around, bracing themselves to get swarmed at any moment. Kakashi lifted his headband from his left eye, letting his Sharingan glow red in the darkness. "Well?" Zuko balanced two fireballs on his hand. "Are you going to attack?"

Nothing answered except the feeling of more dark eyes descending upon him. "I guess it's our move." Kurama untied his rose-thorn whip.

"Trunks." Gohan smirked. "Wanna scare them?"

Trunks spiked his aura. "Why not?"

Trunks and Gohan threw their heads back as bluish-white auras roared to life around them. "So I guess we're going first!" Lee pumped his fist into the air.

"We went first in attacking you and we still keep the initiative." A man in a dark, purple cloak entered the arena, followed by a large group of beings in similar purple cloaks. "Hope you enjoy us and our Hollows. Consider it a gift."

The combined auras of the group of surrounded heroes lit up the stadium, revealing the tall, muscular, black Hollows with varying war paint on the white, bony masks that covered each of their faces. "Damn you must be ugly! You won't even show your face!" Inuyasha insulted, "Miroku! I found someone uglier than Naraku and Koga combined!"

"What's that?!" Nami exclaimed, pointing to the ceiling where a large, metal fist punched through.

"My friends and I call it Jupiter." the cloaked leader said, "It's to make sure you never get to Arulok!"

"Jupiter better work hard then!" Vegeta, Goku, and Piccolo spiked their auras, causing a small shockwave to ripple through the ground.

"So what?" The cloaked leader laughed. "The cat and the seven wizards are the only ones we're slightly worried about! Jupiter: lift the roof off this place! Take them out with the Magical Conversion Cannon!"

Erza gasped. "A Magical Conversion Cannon?"

"That could take out the whole village!" Mirajane exclaimed, feeling Jupiter's dark energy rise.

"I'm done standing here." Zuko's flames ignited. "Charge!"

The giant metal hand shot tendrils from each finger that clamped to the ceiling. In one swift yank it ripped the entire roof off, revealing the starry night sky over Konoha that slowly filled with smoke. "The whole city, huh?" Goku burst into the air. "Vegeta! Piccolo! Gohan! Trunks! Let's stop this thing before it powers up!" The beast was a large, metallic, six-legged bug with two metal hands, each hand with numerous small holes for the tendrils to shoot out from.

Gohan flew into the air and looked around. Konoha was completely silent besides for the ninja working feverishly to put out the fires that we're created by the robotic arachnid looming over the revealed stadium. "How is it that no one's up?"

"Scared that there is no one to help you?" The cloaked leader laughed again. "You can thank my lieutenant's deafening roar spell! Anyone asleep at the time of the spell being cast can't hear a thing!"

"When you think about it," Ichigo cut through a group of Hollows. "your spell is kinda pointless."

The lieutenant shook his fist. "You take that-" A yellow wave of chi blasted the lieutenant into a wall. A tall, muscular, light-skinned man fired a volley of chi waves at the cloaked wizards, scattering them. He was bald and had black eyebrows, but his most strange feature was a third eye on his forehead with a small, black pupil. He wore a white tank-top, green pants with a red belt, and black shoes with yellow ankle weights. The lieutenant weakly lifted his head, staring directly at his attacker. "How are you even fighting? My spell should have-"

"I was awake, dumbass!" The three eyed man fell into stance, waiting for him to get back up.

Piccolo smirked. "Tien! The rest of our group can handle them! We need you up here!"

Tien nodded and burst into the air. "What's up- whoa!" His aura spiked as the large spider's head split open. A wide, long cannon appeared from the head, charging a large, black wave of energy.

"Here's how we'll stop it." Piccolo said, "Tien, use your tri-beam to take out the legs. Gohan, Trunks, distract the tendrils. Goku, Vegeta, you two hold off the beam. I'll jump into the head and take out this beast's power source."

"You'd make quite the tactician." Vegeta said, "I'm surprised you _didn't_ defeat Kakarot."

"Can you be the asshole after we kill this thing?" Piccolo rebuttled.

"Gah!" Vegeta turned towards the cannon, drawing his hands back while charging his signature attack. "Galick Gun:"

"Do they really think they can take that thing out by just themselves?" Erza clenched her fists. "Do you have any idea how much power that thing contains?!"

Goku turned to her and smiled. "Nope!" He turned towards the robot and fell into stance, charging a small, blue ball of chi between his hands. "Kamehameha!"

"Fire!" Vegeta exclaimed. The Kamehameha and Galick Gun fired simultaneously, racing towards the cannon.

The cannon fired its attack, quickly clashing with the two rivals' waves. "They're actually holding it off!" Makarov said, "I'm amazed two non-wizards are capable of such power!"

"Tri-beam!" Tien exclaimed, firing a rectangular wave of yellow chi through two of the legs, causing the entire robot to become lopsided. He fazed out, reappearing in between two legs. "Dodompa!" He outstretched both of his arms, firing a beam from each finger. They melted the steel and forced the robot to be even more unstable. "Two more! Gohan, Trunks, how are you guys holding up?"

Gohan and Trunks had clamped the hands of the beast together while sending waves of chi towards the monster's fingers. "Just great!" Trunks barely dodged a tendril and cut through it with his sword.

"My job's done!" Tien said, cutting through the last two legs with another tri-beam. "I'm going to help the others!" Tien fazed out, reappearing in the center of the battle. "Hurry, Piccolo!"

"Right! I've found it!" Piccolo dropped into the center of the beast. "So this is the control room..."

"Hey!" A group of four hooded wizards rushed towards him.

Piccolo laughed. "Just you four lousy guys?"

The leader laughed. "We're necromancers! Wizards of darkness! Do you have any idea what we have the ability to conjure?"

"You have no idea who the hell I am, do you?" Piccolo spiked his aura. "You may remember me by my father's name: Piccolo Daimao!" Piccolo fazed out, making quick work of the necromancers. "So I guess it's this way." Piccolo rushed to the power core, which was a large, green, ball encased in glass. "Pitiful." Piccolo said, blowing a hole through the core with a chi blast. "Done." The core started to glow as green gas quickly escaped from the orb, emitting a high pitched squeal. Piccolo's eyes widened. "That sound!" He blew a hole through the top of the room and flew out. "Everyone down now!"

_You know what this reminds me of?_ Nail said from inside Piccolo's head, _Every Michael Bay scene-_

"Not now Nail!" Piccolo snatched Gohan and Trunks, rushing to the ground. "Goku! Vegeta! It's done!"

"Right!" Goku spiked his aura even more as he and Vegeta gave one last push, completely destroying the cannon.

"Looks like we won." Natsu said, noticing that there was no one left that he needed to fight.

"I have some words with the leader." Kuwabara said, "I'll subdue him!"

"Looks like Toph's already done that." Hiei snorted. "A little girl is already ahead of you."

"I don't think you have the right to call anyone little." Yusuke patted Hiei on the head, making the Jaganshi boil with anger.

"Vegeta! Chi barrier now!" Goku and Vegeta split up and expelled chi from all around them, forming one giant dome around the broken robot.

"The explosion will kill them!" Elfman rushed towards the two Saiyans. "I have to get them out-"

A large, fiery explosion caused tremors to knock everyone off their feet. The red and orange flames pushed to the edge of the chi dome but to no avail as the chi valiantly fought back. "What were they thinking?!" Mirajane held her face in her hands as she broke down crying. "Why didn't I do something?!"

"Look!" Gray pointed towards the flames, watching as the outlines of Goku and Vegeta stood amidst the flames as they died down. The dome disappeared, leaving a large area of scorched ground and two Saiyans with very tattered clothing.

**AAAAAND that's chapter two. Review please or whatever you wanna do. PM me if you have questions.**


	3. Disperse

**Own nothing, I do.**

**A/N: If you came for a fanfic where the Z-fighters are overpowered and no one proves a challenge, you can leave right now.**

Goku smiled and waved to his friends from the ruins of the robot. "Hey guys!"

He and Vegeta rushed over, waiting for more fights. "You missed it." Naruto said, "We got them all!"

Toph sent an earth-covered fist into the leader's stomach. "Did Phantom Lord send you?"

He nodded.

"What is it you're after?" Erza barked.

"It's not what, but who." he said, catching his breath. "Funds for our machines are getting low."

"So who are you after?" Lucy asked.

"Your father has been looking for you for quite some time now, Lucy Heartfilia." He chuckled. "We found your "missing child" poster on our request board with a three billion jewel reward! We couldn't pass up such a pretty penny! With the connections our guild master has made with other men and women of power, the whole universe will fear the name, "Phantom Lord!""

"What do you need those machines for?" Katara asked.

"Come and meet your fate, Fairy Tail!" The leader threw his head back and laughed. "I can't wait to spit on your graves!"

"He's not going to talk." Hiei said, taking the leader and slamming him face first into the ground. "I'll make sure he never speaks again." He opened the man's mouth and shoved it into the dirt. Hiei stepped on the leader's head. "A little pressure and your head with explode like a watermelon filled with ketchup!"

"Let it run off." Vegeta said, "Kill something more worthy of your time."

The hooded leader scrambled out from under Hiei's foot. "You haven't seen the last of us!" A black portal opened in the ground, allowing the hooded wizard to vanish.

"This was a warning." Makarov said, "They know we're coming and they're cocky enough to tell us that they are not alone. We need to take these next few months and prepare!"

"Right!" The other seven wizards said simultaneously.

"I think you guys need to learn the ability to control your power first." Goku said, making Erza frown. "You guys nearly destroyed the arena, so I just thought-"

"I know how to control my power!" Erza protested.

"Well..." Mirajane looked around at all of the slashes, ice patches and burnt wood in the stadium. "A couple lessons wouldn't hurt."

"All of us need to work on something." Tien said, "But I'll gladly train you guys if you teach me some cool magic in exchange."

"I'm still training with Goku," Natsu looked over to his current Sensei. "right?"

"Crane style works the same way. Expand your fighting versatility." Goku said, "Train with Tien for now."

"Alright!" Natsu pumped his fist into the air. "I guess you're going too, right Happy?"

"Aye!" Happy chimed.

"Gray, are you joining?" Tien asked, making Gray scoff.

"Me? Train with him?" Natsu and Gray said simultaneously, "I wouldn't be caught dead with this loser!"

"What'd you say?!" Natsu snapped, sparking an exchange of insults.

"Lucy Heartfilia." Piccolo said, looming directly behind the blonde Celestial Wizard.

A chill went up her spine as she came to the realization that there was a large Namekian standing behind her. "Y-yes?"

"You were the only one of us besides for Mirajane not actually fighting." Piccolo said, "Don't think I didn't see you hide behind your spirits."

"Your point being?" Lucy asked, nervous and half-expecting the answer.

"I sense that we won't be the only ones on Arulok searching for the Dragonball." Piccolo warned, "What if you're in a fight and you don't have your keys?"

"I always have my keys." She reached down to her belt and felt for it. "My- my keys-"

A green arm appeared above her head, dangling the keys. "You'll get these back once you properly learn how to fight yourself."

"What?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Tomorrow, entrance of Konoha, four A.M." Piccolo smirked. "Don't be late. You can ask Gohan how I deal with students that waste my time." Piccolo fazed out, reappearing behind Ichigo. "Ichigo Kurosaki."

The same chill Lucy felt ran up Ichigo's spine as well. "Yeah?"

"I've noticed that you've relied on your sword too much to save yourself." Piccolo said, "Instead of dodging and counterattacking, you choose to block."

"What's wrong with that?" Ichigo asked.

Piccolo winced. "What if you don't have your sword?"

"Oh no!" Ichigo whipped around, glaring at the tall Namekian while reaching for his Zanpakuto. "You're _not_ about to take my-"

Piccolo hefted Zangetsu, Rukia's Zanpakuto, Uryu's bow and quiver, and Usopp's rifle on his shoulder. "Both you and Rukia will have to survive my training if you guys want your weapons back."

"Hey!" Rukia realized her sword was gone.

"Tomorrow, entrance of Konoha, four A.M." Piccolo ordered. "Don't bother whining to Yoruichi either. She and I go way back."

Ichigo hung his head. "Of course."

"Naruto, Yusuke, I guess you guys are still training with me, right?" Goku asked, getting nods from both of them. "Hey Aang, it looks like you and Katara won't be training alone."

"My brother and I are training with you as well." Edward said. "Winry, how about-"

"He took my wrench." Winry clenched her fists. "I'm going to beat the snot out of Piccolo once he gives me the chance."

Edward chuckled. "So I guess you already have plans."

"How about you, Inuyasha?" Goku asked.

"I'd rather train by myself." Inuyasha said, "Even with your training I still lost half my matches in the Dark Tournament, so I doubt even your advanced teachings will prove much help."

Goku shrugged. "Well, okay then."

"Maybe it wasn't the teachings that produced your failure." Aang said, "Our opponents were very strong."

"Tch." Inuyasha flew into the air. "Kagome, are you coming?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, but just let me-"

Inuyasha swooped down, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her into the air. "Miroku! Sango! Shippo! Let's go!"

Miroku nodded. "We'll be right behind you!" Miroku assured, he and his wife and Shippo running after him.

"See you guys soon!" Goku and the others waved to their friends that left for training.

"Can I still train with you guys?" Luffy asked Goku.

"You need someone to teach you how to actually fight, not just flail your limbs hoping to hit something." Vegeta scoffed, receiving a chuckle from Goku. "After that cheap shot that cost your team a point in the tournament preliminaries, I decided that you need to be reeled in."

"I'm a pirate!" Luffy puffed out his chest. "You can't tame me!"

"You call yourself a _pirate?_" Vegeta threw his head back and laughed. "Your petty attempts at finding one stash of riches is nothing compared to what Saiyans acquire; entire planets belong to us including their inhabitants."

Luffy's jaw dropped. "Planets?!"

"The Saiyan race is the fiercest warrior race in all of the universe!" Vegeta said, "We collect the riches of whole planets then sell the ashes of all who oppose us on Craig's list!"

"Think about how much meat I could buy with the riches of a whole planet!" Luffy's mouth watered at the thought. "When do we start?!"

"We're traveling to Central City tonight." Vegeta said, "Your friends better get their asses over here as well. What's the point of having a crew if you're the only one who's capable of anything."

"Nami! Nico! Zoro!" Luffy called, "You guys are going to Central City!"

"Aren't we banned there?" Zoro looked at Trunks and Erza's swords. "Besides, I've got something to prove here."

"Wait," Nami said, "What are we doing?"

"Vegeta's a space pirate!" Luffy said excitedly, "He _owns_ planets!"

"All that money..." Nami wondered, "You're saying by end of this I'll be able to take over planets?"

"Of course not." Vegeta smirked. "You'd need to be able to defeat their top fighters first."

"Sorry I can't join you," Usopp glared at Piccolo. "I want my gun back."

"I might as well see more of the world." Nico said, "It's about time I've been somewhere with more than people trying to kill us."

"Luffy, Nami, and Nico?" Vegeta chuckled. "This will be hilarious."

"What do you mean?!" Luffy shouted.

"Take Nami." Vegeta said, "We're flying over to Central City."

"Now?" Nami whined, "But I didn't pack-"

"Shut up." Vegeta snapped. "You'll be in a city soon, you'll earn some money, you better not whine until we get there." Vegeta took hold of Nico's wrist. "Hold on, climb on; I won't bother catching you if you fall."

Nico climbed on Vegeta's back as he burst into the air. Luffy turned and waved to his friends as Nami climbed onto his back. "See you guys in a few months!"

"Leaving already?" Aang asked.

"Yup!" Luffy skyrocketed into the air. "Goodbye guys!"

Zoro waved to his captain as he slowly disappeared from view due to his altitude. His eyes returned to Erza and Trunks' swords. "Trunks, Erza, I have a question for you guys."

"Yeah?" Trunks and Erza walked up to him.

"Would you be willing to spar with me?" Zoro said, "My goal is to become the world's best swordsman."

Trunks smiled. "Sure."

"Why not?" Erza said, unsheathing her sword. "We can go right now."

Trunks unsheathed his sword. "Let's go!"

"Huh." Zoro grinned. "I guess I'm not the only one that's enthusiastic about swords."

"I'll spar first." Erza readied her sword.

"Why don't we all fight together?" Trunks proposed.

"How old are you?" Zoro asked.

"18." Trunks said.

"Do you think you can keep up, kid?" Zoro asked.

"I'm only a year older than he is." Erza said, "How about the two of us take you on?"

"That won't be fair." Trunks fell into stance with his sword poised. "It'll be a free for all."

"Ooh!" Sokka ran over to the three sword enthusiasts with his short-sword drawn. "I wanna fight too!"

Piccolo appeared in front of the water-tribe warrior, kicking the sword out of Sokka's hand. "You get to fight once you learn how to survive without a sword!"

Sokka growled. "Hey! You can't just-"

"Tomorrow, Konoha entrance to Konoha, four A.M." Piccolo caught Sokka's sword. "If you ever want this back, I suggest you be there."

Zoro frowned. "Two kids and a lady versus me?" He unsheathed a second sword. "I'll go easy on you-"

"Not tonight." Makarov intervened, "We need to get a good night's rest if we're to train tomorrow."

"He's right you know." Mirajane added, "A good night's rest helps you think better during the day."

"We'll duke it out tomorrow." Trunks said, "Bring the wooden swords too; we're not trying to kill each other-"

Trunks felt a sharp tug on his long, lavender colored hair. "Why?" Hiei's voice taunted from behind, "You don't want someone cutting your hair?"

Trunks whipped around. Hiei smirked at him. "I was afraid I'd end up mistaking your head as a practice dummy." Trunks sheathed his sword. "Bring your wooden sword tomorrow. Center of the village"

Hiei nodded, still wearing his smug grin. "Fine."

"What about me?" Kuwabara asked, feeling left out that everyone seemed to have training plans except him.

"You and Kurama hang with us." Yusuke said, "Gray, Zuko, don't be loners."

"Wasn't planning on it." Gray said.

"Fine." Zuko folded his arms.

"Gray," Mirajane blushed. "your clothes."

Gray gasped as he realized all he wore now was a pair of shorts.

"Hey Lee!" Elfman said, "Mirajane, Toph, Chad, and I are going to train in the forest! I need another _real_ man to join me!"

"Proving my manliness in the forest!" Lee pumped both his fist into the air. "Let's do it!"

Hinata timidly approached Son Goku and Naruto. "S-son Goku,"

"Yes?" Goku smiled.

"D-do you mind if I train with you and Naruto?" Hinata said, "Not just sparring partners, but as a student?"

Goku grinned and gave her a thumb up. "Sure."

"Are you sure you can handle the weighted clothing?" Naruto asked, concerned for the well-being of his friend.

Hinata nodded. "I can take it."

"What about us?" Orihime asked, referring to herself, Sakura, and Kakashi.

"Why don't you guys train with us?" Tien proposed. "It might get boring with just the three of us."

Happy frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll teach you how to fight without having to rely on your magic, Orihime." Tien said, "Sakura, Kakashi, what do you say? We'll be training in the mountains; we'll be staying at a place that I think Natsu will enjoy."

"Then I might as well come and observe you." Makarov shook his head. "Natsu can become a handful."

"We'd rather stay in Konoha." Kakashi spoke for both of them.

"Alright." Tien said, "Natsu, Orihime, gather your belongings tonight and be ready at five A.M tomorrow."

"Are we training by ourselves?" Sakura asked her Sensei.

"I guess." Kakashi said, "What's wrong? Do you feel left out?"

"Sakura!" Naruto ran up to her. "Come train with us! It'll be great fun!"

"What about Kakashi?" Sakura asked, not wanting to leave her teacher.

"He's gonna be working with me." Piccolo's voice made Sakura and Naruto jump. "So will Gohan."

"I will?" Kakashi shrugged. "Okay." Kakashi reached into his pocket, pulling out the latest installment of the Icha Icha series.

"In that case," Sakura said, "See you tomorrow, Naruto."

"We'd better get some sleep if we'll have energy for tomorrow." Goku yawned. "Hinata, I'm crafting your uniform tonight."

Hinata nodded. "Weighted, right?"

"Yeah." Goku chimed.

"Remember!" Piccolo shouted, "If you want to see any of your belongings ever again, I'd suggest you be at the Konoha entrance at four A.M!"

They quickly cleared from the stadium. Nick Fury swung open the entrance door and walked up to the battle-scarred arena. "What the _hell_ happened here?" Nick quickly turned around, heading down the tunnel and back into the lab. "I don't even wanna know..."

_Five A.M, 104 days until departure_

"Nice place you got here, Goku." A voice inside Goku's apartment said, making the Saiyan's eyes fly open.

Goku sat straight up and fazed out, reappearing behind the owner of the voice standing in the room. "Intruder-" He realized that the intruder was none other than Gray Fullbuster, the ice mage from Fairy Tail. "Oh."

"Lucy has a less violent reaction." Gray said, "I took the liberty of getting everyone up that will be training with us."

"By breakin' into peoples houses!" Yusuke shouted outside the door, "You nearly got killed by the other eleven of us and you interrupted a good dream I was having!"

"Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, Gray, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Aang, Katara, Zuko, Edward, and Alphonse? Fun!" Goku darted around the apartment, quickly donning his trademark uniform. "You guys ready to begin?"

They nodded.

"Good." Goku said, "Who's here wanting to be a student, not just sparring partners?"

Naruto, Hinata, Gray, Yusuke, Aang, and Edward raised their hands. "I would," Katara said, "but since we're going to a planet of ice, I doubt I'll need to rely on hand-to-hand combat."

"It's not just about hand-to-hand," Goku said, "But it's increasing your strength, speed, endurance, and agility."

"I'm better off with firebending." Zuko said.

"I'm still training under Tsunade." Sakura said.

"Genkai wouldn't appreciate us training under you." Kurama said, speaking for both him and Kurama.

"I need to concentrate on alchemy." Alphonse said.

"I'll be just a minute." Goku said, pulling out six new weighted uniforms from under his bed. They were similar in design to his own uniform with his kanji translated as, "Wisdom" on the back. He walked outside of his apartment again, handing the handmade uniforms to his six new students. "Put these on and meet the rest of us at the training grounds." Goku and their sparring partners headed towards the entrance of the apartment building. "If you can walk."

_10 minutes later, at the Training Grounds_

Gray nearly hit the floor as the weight of his uniform dragged him down. "How the hell do people walk in these things?"

Naruto, Edward, Yusuke, and Aang laughed as they easily maneuvered around in their weighted uniforms. "You'll get used to it!"

"Wow..." Hinata gritted her teeth as she pained through another step.

"How do you think we got so fast?" Naruto said, performing a few flips.

"Come on Urameshi!" Kuwabara ordered, falling into stance.

"I'll just beat you again!" Yusuke fell into stance as well.

"Mind if I join you?" Kurama asked.

"A two on one." Yusuke said, "You two versus me."

"Really?" Kuwabara smirked. "Now I can't hog your ass-whooping to myself."

"It's not you I'm worried of." Yusuke retorted, making Kuwabara growl.

Naruto blushed as he slowly approached Sakura from behind. "Hey Sakura, do you wanna-"

Sakura whipped around, throwing a kick towards Naruto's face. "C'mon Naruto!"

Naruto blocked the kick and flipped back. "What's gotten into you?"

"If we are sparring, I'm not gonna lose to you!" Sakura charged with her fist cocked back.

"Wow..." Edward watched as Sakura and Naruto clashed, violently disappearing in flashes of fists and kicks.

"Hey brother," Alphonse fell into stance. "Why not go a round with me?"

Ed smiled. "Okay."

"That just leaves the three of us." Aang said, oblivious to Katara and Zuko sparring behind him. "So, do you guys wanna spar?" He turned around and frowned. "Hey!" Aang leaped towards them with his fist cocked back, joining the fight.

"Gray, Hinata, what time is it?" Goku asked.

"About five fifteen," Hinata said, "Why?"

Naruto caught a punch from Sakura and hopped in the air, sending a knee strike into her chin. "You guys are gonna love this!" He said to Gray and Hinata.

Yusuke backpedaled, dodging a flurry of attacks from his friends. "Have you given them their turtle shells-"

"Shh!" Goku hushed, "You'll ruin it!"

"What is it?" Gray asked, feeling like he should know what _it_ was.

"Before the dark tournament, I took Naruto, Ichigo, Yusuke, Inuyasha, Natsu, Luffy, Aang, and Edward in as my students." Goku said, "On their first day of training, I put them through two tests to teach them about chi and chi control."

"You mean magic, right?" Gray asked.

"In your terms, yes." Goku said, "Master Roshi taught me that chi is your actual life essence, and it can either hold you back or cause you to lose to much energy too quickly. Our first test is going to force you to control your usage of chi. You guys _can_ use energy, correct?"

Hinata raised her index finger, slowly charging a white aura around it. "Like this?"

Goku nodded. "Can you fire it?"

Hinata nodded, firing a thin beam at a nearby tree. Gray grunted as he just formed more ice over his finger. "How do you-"

"Your ice forms around a small beam of chi." Goku said, "If you know how to isolate that beam of energy and just channel that, techniques like the Kamehameha or the Dodompa are easier to learn."

"Natsu says you can be pretty stupid," Gray smiled. "But you're kinda smart."

"Uh," Goku chuckled, not knowing whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. "Thanks?"

"So how do I just expel chi?" Gray asked.

"Form your ice at the lowest temperature possible." Goku recommended.

"Well..." Gray began to form ice around his finger again. "Alright."

A blue, wavy, sphere of energy floated above his finger. "Now you're getting it." Goku said, "Expel it like you would an ice spell."

"Alright." Gray aimed his finger at one of the clouds lazily drifting across during this beautiful, snowy morning in Konohagakure. "Ha!" he exclaimed, firing a thick beam of blue energy into the sky.

"Now, meet me in the center of town in five minutes." Goku said, "The real fun will begin there."

However, in the center of town, more than Goku, Gray, and Hinata would be training there. Trunks, Hiei, Erza, and Zoro drew their wooden practice katana. "Who will start?" Trunks spun his sword.

"Go home, kid." Hiei scoffed. "You don't stand a-" Trunks' blade hit his face, sending him soaring into the air.

Trunks blocked a slash from Zoro and ducked a slice from Erza, causing her to whack Zoro in the side of the head. "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I hope I make myself more clear!" Hiei swung down and Trunks hopped back, dodging the strike. Hiei and Trunks clashed, only being able to know when to block the strikes by watching the blurs their opponent created.

Erza and Zoro clashed as well, while commentating on Trunks and Hiei's match. "He's good." Zoro said, jumping over Erza's blade.

"Which one?" Erza raised her blade, blocking Zoro's.

"Well, both are really." Zoro leaned to the right, dodging a thrust from Erza.

"I will give their match to Trunks." Erza said, "Something about him tells me that he's a lot more powerful than he lets on."

"Really?" Zoro and Erza disappeared in a furious exchange of slashes, parries, and dodges. "What told you that?"

"He's quiet." Erza said, "When he and Gohan were fighting that monster the other day, I noticed that Gohan released a lot more energy. Trunks seems more relaxed when he fights too."

"It could just mean that Gohan was fighting more than him." Zoro proposed.

"That could be." Erza considered, "But something about his demeanor, his attitude, the way his eyes move; it feels like he's always holding back."

Zoro shrugged. "You'll figure it out."

"Hey guys!" A happy, light voice chimed.

"Goku." Trunks sent a kick into Hiei's stomach, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Hey Erza." Gray waved, he and Hinata following behind their new teacher with their new weighted turtle shells adding one hundred pounds to their attire.

"Nice uniform." Erza noticed the kanji on Gray's uniform. "You're being taught by Goku?"

"I guess." Gray said, "I wonder what the nail beds are for."

Goku laid out three nail beds right next to each other. "Pay attention."

Gray and Hinata watched Goku as he flipped in the air and fired a beam of chi at the nail bed, slowly lowering himself closer and closer to the spikes until he rested exactly three inches above the nails. His beam of energy was the only thing that kept him away from the spikes. "You want us to do that?" Gray stepped back. "You must be insane-"

"Natsu and Naruto did it." Goku said, adding an incentive to committing to the training.

Gray's eyes lit up with the fire of rivalry. "I want you to put me through what Natsu did but twice as hard!"

_I'll disappoint Naruto if I don't do this._ Hinata took a deep breath and ran towards a mat, leaping into the air and firing a beam of chi as long as Goku's at the spikes, resting above the nail bed.

"Nice!" Goku smiled. "Come on Gray!"

"Don't be scared, Gray." Erza taunted.

"Who's scared?" Gray leaped into the air and fired a beam of chi at the remaining nail bed, balancing three inches above the spike. "What will this prove?"

"This will determine if you can control your energy output." Goku said, "You are to stay like this for fourteen hours."

"Fourteen hours?!" Gray exclaimed. "You've gotta be-"

"Natsu lasted all fourteen on his first try." Goku smirked. "You gonna let him beat you?"

"Not in his dreams!" Gray shouted, building his determination to pass the first test.

"Trunks, Erza, Zoro, Hiei, continue your battle." Goku said.

"But you guys need to concentrate." Erza argued.

"Trust me," Goku smiled. "It's fine-"

"Come on, pretty boy!" Zoro exclaimed, clashing with Trunks.

"I guess it's you and I, Titania." Hiei said, drawing his sword.

"Sorry if I hit you, Gray." Erza smirked as she rushed towards Hiei.

* * *

"So why are we here again?" Luffy asked, causing Vegeta to growl.

"For the fifty-millionth time!" Vegeta barked, "I'm here to increase your speed and strength ten-fold! My training will make you better pirates as well as fighters!"

"Well gosh," Nami mumbled, "You didn't have to yell-"

"I heard that!" Vegeta cleared his throat. "The first thing you need to do is increase your speed."

"But I'm super-fast already!" Luffy said, fazing out.

"Oh yeah?" Vegeta threw a kick back, nailing the pirate in the stomach as he reappeared behind him. "Then you get to practice at three times what they have to train at."

"Where are we going?" Nico Robin asked.

"An acquaintance of mine bought his shop back a few weeks ago." Vegeta said, "We will be staying in the basement of the shop." He led them through the city at a very fast pace, not allowing them to take in the towering buildings, the assorted scents of restaurants, and the sounds of the hustle and bustle people lived in daily. "I would let you have a look around, but I'm not liked here."

"Why's that?" Luffy asked.

Vegeta stopped. "We're here." He took a double take on the shop. "What?!"

Luffy, Nami, and Nico looked at the sign of the shop. "Your friend owns a perfume store?"

The owner of the store with the large, pink banner was tall, broad, muscular, and bald with a thin mustache. He made wrestlers like the Rock or the Big Show look puny by comparison. He towered over all of the shelves, proving easily eight feet in height. "Vegeta!"

"What the hell happened to the weapons store you owned?" Vegeta looked at his acquaintance, who was dressed in brown Saiyan armor with a tag that said, "owner" on the front. "Nappa?"

"Look," Nappa said, "After looking at the demands for swords and the demands for excellent-smelling fragrances, the fragrances won out."

Luffy stared blankly at the large Saiyan. "What?"

"You mean _he _is the guy that took half of you out in the tournament?" Nami laughed. "You've gotta be joking!"

"What happened to the blades?" Vegeta asked, "Some of them were salvaged from Planet Vegeta!"

Nami made sure she heard that right. "_Planet _Vegeta?"

"I'm the prince of Saiyans, greatest warrior race in the universe, we lived on a planet called Vegeta, after my father." Vegeta droned, like he had explained this more than once. "Now where are the blades?"

"About the blades..." Nappa took a deep breath. "I melted them down to create more perfume cases."

Vegeta stared at Nappa completely slack-jawed. "You _what?!_"

"I kept your favorite sword in the basement where no one touched it!" Nappa flinched, waiting for his superior to wipe him off the face of the planet.

"Gah!" Vegeta yelled in rage, "Why are you so stupid!"

"Come on Vegeta," Nappa said, "You're talking to yourself again."

"Just-" Vegeta clenched his fists. "Just take us to the goddamned basement."

"'kay." Nappa said, "Follow-"

"Where's the manager?" A woman with long and wavy blonde-orange hair, blue eyes, full lips, and a beauty mark located under the right side of her mouth walked to the front of the store where Nappa, Vegeta, and the three Straw Hat Pirates stood, waiting to go to the basement of the store. She had a very curvaceous figure and very large breasts. "I know what I want to buy and there is no one at the cash register."

Nappa smiled. "I'm the owner; I'll help you in just a-"

"Come back!" A tall, good-looking man with several cases of perfume pleaded, "I'll buy you all of this! Just one date, Rangiku!"

She rolled her eyes. "I've told you_ no_ for the millionth time."

"But please, Rangiku!" The desperate man persisted.

"I don't have time for this!" Vegeta fazed out, reappearing behind the good-looking man. "You! Leave her alone so she can get what she wants and get out! I'm on a time limit here!"

Rangiku looked at the Prince of Saiyans, gasping once she recognized the spiky hair and his rich, coarse voice. "V-vegeta!"

"You know this guy?" The good-looking man whipped around with his fist cocked back. "Try this-"

Vegeta sent a kick into the man's stomach, sending him flying from the store. "Nappa, let her have it!"

Nappa frowned; even if Vegeta was his superior and that he himself was too a Saiyan, he didn't want to give anything away from his store. "But Vegeta-"

"There will be a Dairy Queen reward." Vegeta bribed.

"Done!" Nappa grinned. "Can we go now? Can we, Vegeta?"

"You still need to take us to the training room in the basement." Vegeta said.

"The rest of you guys," Rangiku said, "you're still in Konoha, right?"

Luffy nodded. "Yup!"

"Maybe I can buy you a drink." Rangiku proposed, "To pay you back for this."

"No need." Vegeta briskly walked past her.

A flirtatious grin grew across her face. "I'll make sure I remember to see you off."

Vegeta seemed to ignore the voluptuous beauty.

Rangiku swooned. "See you later, Vegeta!"

"Yeah sure whatever." Vegeta headed to the back of the store with Luffy and Nami following after.

Nico Robin glared at the Shinigami. Rangiku stared back, locking eyes with the pirate. "What?" Rangiku asked, "Is there something on my face?"

Nico whipped around, walking to briskly catch up with the others. Rangiku just shrugged and headed out of the store.

"The code is, "A tomahawk can kill anything", okay Vegeta?" Nappa punched in the code on a tiny keypad on the back door. The door opened, revealing a gray, metal staircase that went to at least thirty feet below ground. "This way. Raditz has been training here as well."

_To think these were our enemies less than a month ago._ Nami thought to herself.

The training room was an empty room with nothing but a small panel on one of the walls, identical to the panel that the training room in the S.H.I.E.L.D laboratories had. "Prince Vegeta." Raditz bowed.

"Luffy, Nami, Nico, welcome to the gravity chamber." Vegeta said, "Nami and Nico will train with Raditz and Nappa, Luffy will spar with me. Nappa and Raditz will rotate with each of you for different types of training: speed with Raditz, strength with Nappa, and agility with me. If you do exceptionally well, you may get the chance to learn an attack. Any questions?"

"How are we supposed to change the gravity in here?" Luffy asked, "That's impossible!"

Vegeta went over to the strange looking panel. "Two, two, six."

The three pirates dropped to the floor. "What the hell?" Nami strained to get up.

Raditz lifted Nami off the ground and set her down on her feet. "Follow me."

"Get up, Robin!" Nappa shouted, "How can you train if you can't even get off the ground?!"

"Over in this half of the room is where you will be training." Vegeta sent a kick into Luffy's ribs, sending him sailing deeper into the range which was six times the gravity of Earth's. "Oh stop moaning and get up!" Vegeta grabbed Luffy by his arm and yanked him to his feet. "Are you ready?"

Nami shook her head. "No-"

"Begin!" Raditz shouted, rushing towards Nami.

* * *

"Eep!" Lucy was sent sailing into the air by a chi blast to her stomach, courtesy of Piccolo.

"You have to learn to DODGE!" Piccolo barked, fazing out.

"I'm trying!" Lucy whipped around, trying to predict the Namekian's next attack.

"Ha!" A red wave of chi smashed into the Namekian, sending him sailing into the air. A black Shinigami outfit flew past her, clashing with the Namekian. "Stay there, Lucy!"

"Ichigo?" Piccolo chuckled, easily dodging a burst of attacks from Ichigo. "You're not on land that is familiar to you. If you keep fighting, you'll likely fail my training!"

"Galuna Island, right?" Ichigo spiked his aura again. "I know I'm already at a disadvantage, but I know what you're trying to do! This is a test to see if we can work together more than just increasing speed and agility!"

_He's smarter than I thought._ A small smile grew across Piccolo's face. "DODGE!" Piccolo threw a punch towards Ichigo's face.

Ichigo crossed his arms in front of his face, ready to block the blow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"DODGE!" Piccolo sent a kick into Ichigo's stomach, sending him sailing towards the ground. Ichigo whipped around and burst away from his opponent in a flash of red energy.

In a swift movement he swept Lucy off her feet. "Rukia and Uryu have located Sokka and Winry." Ichigo said, "Usopp managed to get to the center of the town as well, probably with more than a bruise or two from Gohan."

"Why the center of the town?" Lucy asked.

"This exercise is testing our teamwork, not just our speed." Ichigo said, "Piccolo said that this exercise ends once we all group together. He said it as we were flying over here, remember?"

"Oh," Lucy giggled, feeling stupid. "I must not have been able to hear him over the wind."

"You were on my back." Ichigo recalled, "Seeing as I had to carry Usopp and Sokka too, I guess I was a bit behind Piccolo and the others. My bad."

"So what are we doing here?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know." Ichigo admitted, "We'll find out once we get there."

Piccolo chuckled, watching them burst towards the center of town. "I didn't expect them to split up like that."

Kakashi appeared from a puff of smoke along with Gohan. "Ichigo, Rukia, and Uryu are the most powerful of the seven." Kakashi said, "They must have prepared for something like this."

"Mister Piccolo," Gohan said, "Are you sure they're ready to handle the demon Deliora? We're already in deep trouble already for taking the S-class mission from the guild boards; even if you are a wizard from Fairy Tail you've never completed the S-class trials!"

"You're from Fairy Tail?" Kakashi asked.

Piccolo nodded. "About one hundred years ago, my second reincarnation was sent to planet Earth because of a drought crisis on my home planet-"

"You're an alien?!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"I have green skin, pointy ears, fangs, and a turban." Piccolo said, "I must look like so many other people. Anyway, I was found by Mavis Vermilion, the first guild master of Fairy Tail."

"So you're over one hundred years old?" Kakashi felt confused.

"No." Piccolo said, "My second reincarnation died while on a high paying job. A second before my death, I used a teleportation spell to return to Namek. Using the last of my energy, I coughed up an egg which would later become my third reincarnation."

"So which reincarnation are you on now?" Kakashi asked.

"My fourth." Piccolo said, "My third was killed by Son Goku-" Piccolo smirked. "I'll finish my story later. They've reached the center of town."

Gohan winced as memories from his training with Piccolo rolled through his mind. "This is not gonna end well." Gohan hefted Kakashi on his back and the three flew off, ready to throw their students in harm's way as part of Piccolo's perilous preparation for the expedition to Arulok.

* * *

"And we've come back to the guild..." Makarov looked at the broken Fairy Tail guild sign. "Because..."

"Didn't we just leave from here?" Natsu said.

"Aye." Happy chimed.

"Let's see what reason Tien has for bringing us here before we question it." Orihime said.

"The mountains around Magnolia will represent the climates in Arulok. Cold and dry." Tien said, "You might as well learn to get used to it."

The five walked into the broken Fairy Tail. "At least the iron rods are gone." Natsu said, "Everyone's out from the basement now."

The other Fairy Tail wizards worked feverishly to repair the damage done by Phantom Lord. "I see everyone's working." Makarov smiled.

"Makarov's back!" One wizard exclaimed, causing everyone to rush towards the entrance of the guild.

"You've failed already?" A tall man with spiky blonde hair and a bolt-shaped scar across his left eye taunted, leaping from the second floor of the guild.

"Laxus!" Makarov barked.

"And who are these losers?" Laxus pointed to Tien and Orihime. "You guys aren't even wizards! Please don't tell me you guys are thinking of joining; we have too many losers here already!"

"You're right." Tien chuckled. "We're not wizards. That doesn't make you stronger than me, or anyone for that matter."

Makarov growled. "Please-"

Laxus walked up to Tien, purposely crackling lightning around him in attempts to intimidate him. "Is that a challenge?"

Tien folded his arms. "Maybe not to me, but to _you_, I guess."

"He really must be an idiot." A curvaceous, slim woman with long, brown hair and brown eyes took another drink from a large barrel of wine. "Challenging Laxus is a bad thing."

Laxus smirked. "You got that right, Cana!" He glared at Tien. "You and me!" Laxus barked. "Right here, right now!"

"Stop this!" Makarov demanded.

"The guild master said no," Tien turned around, heading towards the door of the guild. "therefore I must decline."

"What's the matter?" Laxus laughed. "Are you wimping out?"

Tien walked out of the guild. "Natsu, Orihime, Happy, meet me near the outskirts of town once you feel like you're ready."

Laxus rushed towards him. "Don't you walk away from me!"

"We're allies for now, so I won't hurt you." Tien burst into the air, flying towards the icy, snow-capped mountain peaks.

"Who was that guy?" A tall, bespectacled man with spiky orange hair asked, walking over to Natsu, Orihime, and Happy, "And who are you, my redheaded goddess? I'm Loke, the-"

"I- I'm not interested." Orihime said, making Loke's jaw drop.

A tall, middle-aged man with short, dark-blue hair laughed. "Looks like Loke just got rejected."

"Shut up, Macao!" Loke blushed, feeling embarrassed.

"Who was that tri-clops?" A short, petite girl with blue hair tied in a ponytail asked, "And why was he here?"

"His name is Tien Shinhan, Levy." Natsu smiled. "He's my new teacher!"

"A non-wizard is teaching a wizard how to fight?" Laxus spat on the ground and returned to the second floor. "Pathetic!"

"I betcha won't call this pathetic!" Natsu fell into a new stance, drawing his hands to his sides. "Here's a move Goku taught me how to use!"

A small, blue ball of chi appeared in between his hands. Makarov gasped. "It can't be!" He remembered Goku's uniform and the kanji. "So he was a pupil of Roshi's..."

The ball between Natsu's hands grew to twice its original size. "Are you ready?" He turned around so the attack will fly from the doors of the guild and into the air. "Kame..."

Laxus peered over the balcony. "What?"

"Hame..." Natsu's aura flared. He stepped forward, thrusting his hands forward as well. "Ha!" he exclaimed, firing a large, bright, blue wave of energy into the air. "What do you think of that? Come on Orihime, let's get some stuff then let's go train!"

"I'll help you pack." Orihime said, "I didn't plan on bringing anything anyway."

Makarov shook his head. "I can't believe I'm letting that boy go to another planet..."


	4. Training

**I own nothing**

_7:15 P.M., center of Konoha_

"How much longer?!" Gray's arm shook from the strain of being stuck above the nail bed for so long. A small group of spectators watched the sword match between Erza, Trunks, Hiei, and Zoro and the rigorous test that Gray and Hinata had come close to finishing.

Hinata gritted her teeth as she strained as well. _It shouldn't be that much longer, right?_

"Time's up." Goku flipped into the air and landed on his feet. "Now, I bet you're wondering how you're gonna get off."

Gray and Hinata nodded.

"Fire a large beam at the nail bed to propel yourself in the air." Goku said, "Just do it."

Gray and Hinata fired two large beams of energy at the nail bed. "I'm a bit higher, but that's about it!" Gray said.

"More." Goku said.

The two students did as they were told. "Ha!" Hinata exclaimed, using her entire hand to fire a chi blast that sent her skyrocketing into the air. Gray did the same, sending him flailing and screaming into the air.

"Nice job!" Goku gave them a thumb up. "Now, flip right side up and control your movement in the air using your chi!"

Hinata flipped around and burst higher into the air. "Like this?!" Gray exclaimed.

"Use your hands and feet as rockets!" Goku said, "Fire just enough to where you can lift yourself into the air!"

"What are you doing?!" Erza watched as Gray burst higher into the air using his chi. "A fall from that height will kill them!"

"Control how much you expel!" Goku instructed, "Use it to float to the ground!"

Gray and Hinata took a deep breath and slowly decreased how much energy they were using until they floated in the air. "What now?!"

"Slowly decrease it until you reach the ground!" Goku chuckled. "You guys are doing fine!"

Gray slowly came closer to the ground. "I did it!" His feet touched the ground. "What do you think of that, Natsu?!"

"He can fly too." Erza said, making Gray growl.

"Almost there..." Hinata slowly descended until she was around five feet above ground. "And... there!" She landed on her feet and took a sigh of relief.

"Remember," Goku said, "When you do fly, channel your energy into your hands and feet. Make sure to use as little energy as possible, because when it runs out, you walk."

Gray's stomach rumbled. "Can we get something to eat?"

"We have things to do before then." Goku said, "Naruto, Aang, Edward, and Yusuke should be here soon."

"Hey guys!" Naruto, Aang, Edward, and Yusuke flew over the crowds. "Are they ready?"

"Ready for what?" Hinata asked.

"Gray, Hinata, close your eyes." Goku instructed.

"Um, okay?" Gray and Hinata shut their eyes.

"You should be able to see a faint outline of everyone here." Goku said, "Clear your mind and concentrate."

"I can't see it." Gray said.

"When we have no sight, our other senses become heightened." Hinata explained, seeing Goku's white outline of energy standing in front of her. "Concentrate harder."

"Everyone has a different chi signature." Goku said, "A symbol where the person's heart should be is the signature. As the person grows farther away, the symbol grows. When the outline becomes bigger, that means his power is increasing."

"Is that how you were able to find Fairy Tail in the first place?" Gray asked.

"We actually came there just to ask if you guys had seen Luffy." Goku chuckled. "It was a coincidence that Natsu just happened to arrive."

"Why didn't you ask me?" Gray smirked. "I'm way stronger than him!"

"Actually," Goku said, "You guys were about equal before the tournament."

"What about now?" Gray folded his arms as the white outline of Goku slowly faded.

"Right now, Natsu is stronger." Goku said, making Gray's jaw drop. "Don't worry, you'll catch up."

"I want you to train us _twice_ as hard!" Gray gritted his teeth. "There ain't no way that fire-breathing lizard is gonna be stronger than me!"

Goku laughed. "We'll see if you can handle my training as of now." Goku turned around. "Meet the five of us near the entrance of the village in ten minutes. We'll go through one more test and then we'll go over your initial training schedule for tomorrow and for the rest of our time getting ready for this trip." Goku floated in the air. "Oh yeah, you can't open your eyes until you get there!" Goku, Naruto, Yusuke, Aang, and Edward burst into the sky.

"Follow me." Hinata said, "I know where they'll be going."

_Ten minutes later, entrance of Konoha_

"It's about time you guys got here!" Yusuke said, "We've been waiting here forever!"

"Gray," Aang stepped back from the ice wizard, startled by the numerous bruises on his face. "What happened?"

"He tripped over a rock," Hinata said, "walked into a tree, tripped over a stump and landed face-first into the Hokage's breasts then got slapped-" She looked towards Gray, who was steaming with embarrassment. "I think I've said enough."

Once everyone finished laughing, Goku continued to explain the next test. "I would have given you the chi sensory test," He prodded one of Gray's bruises. "but you guys got here using nothing but your sensory skills."

"Plus," Edward shrugged. "I think Gray wants to avoid getting slapped again."

"I think you'd better keep away from Baa-chan for a while!" Naruto laughed.

"Take off your shoes and all weighted apparel." Goku ordered, taking his shoes off as well. "This will be a test of speed."

His old and new students all took off their shoes, leaving seven pairs of shoes jumbled in a pile. They took off their wristbands and orange weighted vests, leaving them in blue tee-shirts and orange pants, except Gray, who was just in blue shorts. "Your clothes." Aang pointed out, making Gray gasp and quickly jump into the orange pants and blue shirt.

"Gray, I want you to sprint a lap around the outside of the village." Goku said, "You too, Hinata."

"I'll keep time." Yusuke said, keeping watch of a large clock near the gates of the village. "Go!"

Hinata and Gray started sprinting, quickly making their way around the village. Soon however, their rate grew slower as their fatigue grew faster. They finally made it around the village, faces red and breath heavy due to the strain of all that running. Gray took a deep breath. "How long?"

"One minute, forty seconds! Nice job, Hinata!" Naruto gave her a high five. "You beat my time by four seconds!"

Goku smirked. "My training is designed to break the barriers that handicap a majority of martial artists, alien or not." Goku said, "Are you ready to break that barrier?" Goku fazed out, leaving a trail of dust behind him. The six students stared awestruck at the trail their teacher left. "Hey guys."

They turned around to see Goku standing in front of a trail of dust. "Five seconds!" Yusuke exclaimed.

Goku smiled. "Starting tomorrow morning, we will start our daily training schedule. Meet me here tomorrow at that time. The milkman hates waiting."

"The milkman?" Gray turned to his new fellow student, Hinata. "Who is the milkman?"

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." Hinata said, "I have a feeling we're not going to get anyone to tell us either."

"Don't worry guys," Yusuke smirked, "you'll love it."

"Don't think you won't be training with them." Goku said.

"I thought we've completed your training!" Naruto whined.

"Nope." Goku chimed, making the four older students slump. "The good part about it is that the farther you go with your training, the more techniques you'll learn."

"You mean we can become super Saiyans?" Naruto asked, receiving a bop on the head from Edward.

"You need to be a Saiyan to do that!" Edward pointed out.

"You'd pretty much look the same." Aang said, making Naruto's dreams of becoming a super Saiyan shatter.

Hinata whimpered. "_You'll always be my super Saiyan!"_ she wanted to scream out.

"Hinata," Naruto noticed her whimper. "Are you okay?"

Hinata nodded and sighed. "Yes."

"You guys better catch some sleep." Goku said, "You're meeting me here again at 3:45 AM."

His students groaned. "3:45?!" Gray exclaimed, "You're joking!"

"Nope." Goku burst into the air. "See you guys tomorrow! Sleep well!"

* * *

Piccolo, Kakashi, and Gohan appeared in the center of Galuna Island along with their seven students: Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu, Lucy, Sokka, Winry, and Usopp, who were arguing with the short, scrawny village leader. "Thank goodness _responsible_ adults have arrived!" the village leader said, walking up to Piccolo and Kakashi. All of the inhabitants of Galuna were outlandish, with skin color ranging from red to blue to yellow to green, coming in all different shapes and sizes. "You are here to stop Deliora?"

Piccolo nodded. "My students and I will stop him. It will take around one hundred and three days to stop him."

"Why will it take so long?" the village leader whined.

Piccolo's eyebrow twitched. "Because it will!" He turned to his seven students. "I crafted new uniforms for you to wear." Piccolo said, "Just to show that you're from my camp." He levitated a ball of chi on his hand that shone an array of color. "Re-equip beam!" he exclaimed, firing seven rays of energy at his new students. Their clothes glowed bright yellow as they morphed into shape, forming purple pants, a white, long-sleeved undershirt, a purple vest with the Kanji for "demon" on the back in a white circle in red print, red wristbands, and red belts. Brown moccasins replaced their shoes and long, white capes with broad shoulder pads.

Ichigo looked down at his new uniform. "I look just like-"

"Why is this thing so heavy?" Lucy groaned, trying to keep herself standing.

"Every wristband, belt, vest, shoe, and cape is weighted," Piccolo said, "it's one hundred pounds all together."

"One hundred pounds, huh?" Lucy strained to move her body.

"For the rest of our time here, we will teach you the Namekian martial arts in the wilderness," Piccolo said.

"Your fists and any form of chi are all you can use," Gohan said. "We'll be living out in the jungles with nothing but the clothes on our backs."

"Deliora resides in the main temple on the southernmost end of this island," Kakashi said. "We're setting off on foot."

The village leader bowed to Piccolo. "Thank you, kind wizards!"

"Let's go," Piccolo said, heading towards the entrance of the village.

Lucy hesitated. "But I need to get ready!"

"No you don't," Piccolo said flatly, "Let's go."

Lucy took a reluctant step. "But-"

"Don't argue with Piccolo," Gohan said, "You'll just make him angry."

Ichigo chuckled and leaned in closer to Lucy's ear. "Piccolo smash!"

Lucy let out a loud laugh before she hastily clamped her hand over her mouth, she and Ichigo muffling their laughter. "I heard that!" Piccolo barked, "Make another remark like that, and we'll be doing speed drills!"

Lucy and Ichigo quickly stopped laughing. Piccolo led the group of ten through the thick jungle, stopping every fifteen minutes to go through more drills. Soon, it had been six hours since they had reached the island, making it ten o'clock in Konoha, and evening on the island. A loud, guttural bellow, greater than any lion's growl or bear's roar, shook the large, tropical trees, stopping the tired, fatigued teachers and fatigued students in their tracks. "What the hell was that?" Usopp reached for his rifle. "Oh yeah... it's gone!"

"Shh!" Uryu and the others crouched down and dived into a long row of tall plant life, which shook due to every colossal step the unknown beast made.

"Whatever it is," Piccolo whispered, "Either we run and dodge or we face it head on and take it down."

"Holy shit!" Usopp exclaimed, "A fucking dinosaur?!"

A large, red Tyrannosaur-like beast that stood at well over two stories tall sniffed into the air. It quickly darted around on large, strong legs with three claws on each foot that were used for traction in the dirt and to probably snatch prey. Its body was broad and its arms were long; they were long enough to reach upward and down aerial food or attackers and then shred them to bits with an elongated head and several rows of tiny, razor-sharp teeth. Its eyes glowed red and its nostrils flared as Usopp's exclamation reached whatever it used to hear. It slowly growled and turned towards them.

"Way to go, Usopp!" Sokka quickly covered his mouth. "Whoops!"

The dinosaur's head snapped towards them as it took a long sniff. It bent its knees. Kakashi's eyes widened. "Run."

They rushed from the bushes, running as fast as they could in the weighted uniforms. "What do we do?" asked Lucy.

"We risk being eaten if we run up hill," Gohan said, "and that's the only way we're going."

"Then we take it down," Piccolo, Gohan, and Kakashi slowly accumulated speed, soon leaving the seven students trailing behind them. "We'll instruct you how to take this thing down. If you're still alive, maybe you can find something to eat and start learning the Namekian-Daimao arts."

"Tell us how!" Sokka reached for his swords, sighing as he realized he didn't have any.

"Ichigo, distract it while partially incapacitating it," Piccolo said.

Ichigo nodded, realizing what he had to do. "Cover your eyes!" Ichigo whipped around, facing the dinosaur.

"What are you doing?!" Lucy exclaimed.

Ichigo rushed toward it and leaped in the air, quickly drawing his hands toward his eyes. "Solar Flare!"

A bright, piercing light illuminated the jungle like a nuclear bomb's flash. The dinosaur screamed in pain as it stumbled left and right, shaking its broad head so it could see. It stopped running and began screeching in pain as the full effects of Ichigo's adapted technique took place. Ichigo fell to the ground and raced toward his friends. "Rukia, Uryu, Winry, Sokka, Usopp, hold down its tail!"

Rukia, Usopp, and Uryu rushed behind the dinosaur. They had survived bigger risks, risks in which Sokka hadn't experienced. Winry and Sokka reluctantly ran after them, keeping an eye on the dinosaur's large head for when it overcame the pain of the Solar Flare. The dinosaur's tail slammed the ground. The five quickly grabbed whatever they could and dragged it down, planting it firmly on the ground. "This will be a cool story to tell Aang and the others!" Sokka's body strained as the dinosaur resisted its tail being put down.

"I think the only reason we're keeping this down is because of our weighted clothing..." Winry added.

"Lucy, Ichigo, use the tail as a ramp and climb on the head," Piccolo said. "Kick it in the little depressions in the skull."

"Come on, Lucy," Ichigo smiled. "I won't let you get hurt."

Lucy hesitated, but then decided to follow. Ichigo grabbed her hand and leaped into the air, landing on the beast's back. "Crawl!" Lucy said, not being able to stand on the moving beast.

Ichigo nodded and laid across the dinosaur's back, the two quickly making their way to its head. "Placed your foot over the side and heel kick it at the same time!" Ichigo and Lucy positioned themselves sitting on either side of the dinosaur with one foot dangling over the side. "Now!"

The dinosaur yelped in pain as Ichigo and Lucy kicked it, sending it crashing into the ground. "Whoa!" The dinosaur tilted its head, making Lucy lose her footing and slip.

Ichigo fazed out, grabbing her hand and preventing her fall. "I got you!"

The dinosaur cocked its head back, sending Lucy and Ichigo sailing into the air. Ichigo kept holding on to Lucy's hand and slung her across his back. "I'm getting annoyed!" He spiked his aura.

"What are you-" Lucy screamed as Ichigo flipped around, falling headfirst toward the ground.

"Take this you stupid reptile!" Ichigo flipped around once again with his heel cocked upward. "Hya!" he exclaimed, sending a powerful heel kick into the head of the dinosaur. Ichigo fazed out, reappearing in front of the beast.

_Even with the weighted clothing, he still moves so fast!_ Lucy sighed. _It seems like he and the other Shinigami along with the Quincy are the only ones useful here._

"Get behind it and summon the energy you use to open your keys! Channel it through your hands and hit its tail to make it open its mouth in pain!" Ichigo planned; Lucy climbed off his back and ran behind the dinosaur. _It's dazed! This will be all I'll have energy for!_ He fell into a familiar fighting stance and drew his hands to his sides, forming a small, blue ball of energy between them.

Piccolo smirked. "So you see it to, Sensei," Gohan said. "My father's taught him pretty well."

Lucy swallowed. "Here we go!" She slowly started to gather energy until a slight, yellow aura was visible around her. "Is this," Lucy shakily drew her arm back; "my energy?" A small, yellow ball formed in her hand. She smiled in triumph. "Ready!"

"When I say, 'ha!', hit the tail as hard as you can!" Ichigo spiked his aura once again. "Kame..."

"The Kamehameha?" Kakashi said, "Goku taught all of them to use it?"

"Hame..." Ichigo gritted his teeth, trying to shut up the voices of failure and doubt in his head. He jumped into the air, looking the dinosaur straight in the eyes. "Ha!"

Lucy threw the ball with as much force as she could, making the dinosaur roar out from the pain. Its tail whipped around, batting all of its prey off like flies. "I did it!"

Ichigo fed the beast the large, blue wave of death, smirking as it came out the other side of its head and slumped to the ground. Ichigo fell to the ground, panting. "We won!" Sokka pumped his fists into the air.

Piccolo frowned and walked over, kicking Ichigo in the ribs. "Get up. It's time for you to learn the basics in Daimao style."

"We just killed a dinosaur!" Winry stated, "I think we deserve a little rest."

"You'll get your rest," Piccolo fazed out, reappearing behind her with his fist cocked back. "Once you learn to DODGE!"

* * *

"So what are those stilts for? You've taught Orihime how to fly too, so what's the point?" Natsu shivered. "Why are we here on Mount Hakobe?" Natsu looked down at his green uniform, similar to Tien's. It had long-sleeved pants and the black shoes with the yellow ankle weights, red, weighted wrist bands, and a red belt. He wore a green, sleeveless vest with a kanji on the back labeled: Crane.

"How are we gonna stay balanced with the extra weights?" Happy tugged at a tiny version of Chiaotzu's outfit.

"The pillar of Crane-style martial arts is balance and agility," Tien said.

"These stilts are supposed to help with those when we walk on them," Orihime said. She looked down at her own new uniform, which was one similar to Natsu's but was a bit tighter on her. "The weights may make that a bit harder."

"We will take different quests around Magnolia using these. We'll be walking everywhere," Tien said, "You put these on as soon as you get up, and take them off once we come back here to rest."

"If we're just taking quests, why didn't we just stay at the guild?" Happy asked.

"You need to get used to moving on them." Tien threw a series of aerial kicks to demonstrate what he meant.

Tien floated in the air, tying two stilts to his legs. He balanced effortlessly on them, like he had been accustomed to . His three students followed him, feeling encouraged about how he easily walked with the stilts on, but quickly did they realize this would not be such an easy task. "You're making this look too easy!" Natsu said, wobbling on his ten-foot long, very thin stilts. The ends of the stilts were slightly rounded, making balancing on them even harder.

"Come on," Tien casually started walking down the mountain with his three students wobbling after him.

About two hours later and more than two hundred falls, the four made it to the doors of the guild. "Question," Orihime said, looking at the height of the door. "how will we get in?"

Tien flipped back onto his hands, balancing on one hand with his legs dangling in front of him like a scorpion's tail. "Scorpion stance!" He moved closer to the door using his fingers alone. He kicked the doors open and quickly scuttled in, catching the undivided attention of every wizard in the guild. "Makarov, how do we get quests?"

"You can't," Makarov said. "You must be a member of the guild."

"How can someone join the guild?" Tien asked.

"You must take the oath, then earn your stamp on a quest," Makarov said.

"What's the oath?" Tien's fingers started to cramp.

"You're seriously going through with this?" Laxus rolled his eyes. "Tch."

"There are three rules for joining:" Makarov started, "One: all personal guild information must be kept inside of the knowledge of the guild. Two: you may never jeopardize a fellow guild member's well-being for personal gain. Three: The members of the guild are now your family, and you shall treat them as such and protect them at all costs."

"I will abide by these rules," Tien said.

"Pick a quest and go do it-" Makarov noticed the stance and the stilts Tien was in. "What is that you're doing?"

"Scorpion stance," Tien said, "The focus of Crane-style Kung-Fu is balance and agility, along with building strength, speed, endurance, and battle strategies."

"Ooh!" Laxus hopped from the second floor. "Little lizard brat's gonna know how to hop around yelling, 'hya'!"

Tien scuttled with his fingers over to the request board, ignoring Laxus's comment. "Shipping groceries... deliver a package... collect crown... collect crown!" Tien used his stilts to grasp the request note, dangling them over his head so he could read it. _Cursed crown that summons lightning bolts that hit the holder/wearer of the crown. Family heirloom cursed by a witch forty years ago. Help! I can lift the curse inside my own home; the crown is on a hill about a mile from my house. 400,000 jewel reward._ Tien smirked. "Lightning bolts, huh?"

"Did you find one that interests you?" Makarov asked.

"Yes," Tien said, "Natsu and Happy are joining me on this quest."

Makarov nodded. "Well, be off."

Tien scuttled out of the guild. "Come on."

"What's the quest?" Orihime asked.

"A woman named Garelda Van Drakul in west Magnolia," Tien said. "She's missing a family heirloom that was cursed by a witch. Anyone holding the crown gets hit by lightning."

"How are we gonna get the crown if it zaps us?" Natsu asked.

An evil grin grew across Tien's face. "You'll dodge the lightning. Every time you drop the crown, I'll just return it back to its original spot on the hill."

Happy and Natsu stared slack-jawed at their new mentor. "You're insane!"

"It will help our reflexes and speed," Orihime smiled. "Let's go for it."

"The girl has more enthusiasm," Tien said. "We're leaving now."

For four hours they walked, stopping occasionally for Natsu to pee in the near-by bushes. He brought along a lot to drink. They walked up a large hill, overlooking a small stone house with two windows and a large cauldron that could be seen inside the house from the window. They looked at the golden crown, which sat innocently on a branch of a tall tree. "Because this lightning is summoned, it is way slower than natural lightning," Happy said. "I still don't wanna get shocked..."

"Head over to the house and tell her we're here," Tien said, "Then watch closely."

Natsu, Happy, and Orihime walked over to the house and told Garelda, who was a short, old, German-accented woman, that they were from Fairy Tail. They turned their attention back over to Tien. "What's he gonna do?" Natsu asked.

Tien snatched the crown from the branch and disappeared, reappearing next to his three students with the crown in his hand. Several bolts of lightning hit the ground in a straight line, leading to Tien. _So fast!_ Orihime stared at her teacher in awe.

Tien fazed out, placing the crown back on the branch and running back toward the house. More bolts of lightning hit the ground in a path behind Tien. "Each of you will get the crown, run to the house, and return the crown to the branch. Who'd like to go first?"

Natsu smirked. "I'm gettin' fired up! Let's do this!"

After countless times and many shocks, Natsu and Happy managed to get the crown to the house and back to the branch. Orihime reluctantly reached for the crown. _Here I go..._ She quickly grasped the crown and whipped around, running as fast as she could on the stilts toward the house, running faster with every bolt that smashed the ground behind her. She touched the crown to the door of the house. "Half way there!" She leaped out of the way of another bolt, causing it to shock Natsu.

Natsu frowned. "What was that for?"

"Sorry!" Orihime extended her arm, placing the crown back on the branch.

"Not bad for your first try," Tien fazed out, grabbing the crown and placing it on the window sill of the house.

Garelda snatched the crown from the window sill and dropped it into the cauldron. "Thank you, so very much!" She took out a large sack of jewels from behind the cauldron and barely squeezed it through the window sill, handing it to Tien.

"Thank you," Tien waved and turned around. "Back to the guild, guys."

"How much was the reward?" Natsu asked.

"Four hundred thousand jewels," Tien said, making Natsu, Happy, and Orihime's jaws drop.

"For a non-S-class mission?" Happy said.

"How many people do you expect to be able to dodge lightning?" Tien smirked. "One hundred grand for each of us."

"All that fish!" Happy's mouth watered at the thought of one hundred grand's worth in fish.

Natsu's stomach rumbled. "Can we get something to eat?"

"We'll eat once we've run out of energy," Tien said. "We're gonna be working on your endurance."

Natsu and Happy groaned as they walked back to Magnolia with Tien and Orihime.

* * *

"More weights!" Gray exclaimed, struggling under the hundred pound shells and twenty five pound wrist and ankle weights, which like the shell, were forged from iron.

"How heavy are ours?" Naruto asked, taking slow, choppy steps like everyone else behind Goku.

"Five hundred pounds," Goku smiled. "You guys are my tier two students. You'll be learning more advanced techniques like the Afterimage."

Tsunade and Shizune spectated the training from the Hokage's office. "They've been at it since four this morning," Shizune said. "It's taken one hour to deliver to all of Konoha."

"It's better than Jiraiya teaching Naruto to spy on women," Tsunade chuckled. "Besides, Naruto is enjoying it."

Goku floated in the air, despite wearing his own six-ton version of the weights. He rapped on the office window with his knuckles. "Tsunade, sorry we're a little late. Hinata and Gray are new to this."

Tsunade opened the window and attempted grabbing his arm. _Come to me..._

"The milk is over here," Goku placed the milk bottle in her hand. "I hope it tastes good!" He smiled. "See you later."

"Goku, wait," A flirtatious smile grew across Tsunade's face. "I have something to give you for your services." She closed her eyes and leaned forward with her lips puckered. _A little closer..._

"Uh, Tsunade," Shizune held back a giggle.

Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed out of annoyance. She leaned forward a bit too much, causing her to dive headfirst, locking lips with the window. Her face steamed red out of embarrassment and anger. "Tsunade," Goku stared puzzled at the Hokage. "why did you kiss the window?"

Tsunade whipped around, sitting right back in her office chair. She cleared her throat. Shizune clenched her fists, trying her hardest not to crack even the slightest smile. Tsunade looked up at her. "Don't you have paperwork to get for me?"

Shizune quickly nodded and rushed out of the office. _I'm sorry!_

"Hey Goku," Naruto said, "I think granny Tsunade likes you."

"What makes you say that?" Goku asked, completely oblivious to Tsunade's crush on him.

"Well," Yusuke started, "whenever you go on a dangerous adventure, she's not that far behind."

"Neither is Vegeta, but he wants to fight me. Vegeta and I are great friends too-" Goku dawned on a false realization. "That's it!"

"Goku," Edward let his head fall into his palm. "please tell me you're smarter than this."

"I'll challenge her to a fight after we get back from Arulok!" Goku said. "Speaking of Arulok, it's time for the second part of your training."

Goku led them through various tasks: plowing a field with their hands to increase endurance and pain threshold, solving advanced mathematics and logic problems to increase problem solving skills, climbing tall mountains at ninety degree angles to increase strength, dodging angry wasps to increase speed and reflexes, destroying bricks with chi to increase chi control, and swimming in shark-infested waters for strength and speed. They ended the day by meditating in a traditional Lotus position. Gray smirked as he walked back toward Konoha, finally used to all of the extra weight of the shells and clothing. "What are we doing tomorrow?" he asked.

Goku smiled. "We'll do this all again tomorrow!"

His students groaned.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Goku received all negative answers from them. He shrugged. "Well I had fun. Get some rest! We have no time to waste!"

* * *

The minutes, hours, days, and weeks seemed like blurs to them all. In the period of their training, their abilities skyrocketed, breaking the limits they had been held back by for so long. Soon, today, the day which they'd embark on their journey, had finally arrived. However, Makarov would not be joining them. "He fell ill last night," Levy said. Levy, along with Tien, Natsu, Orihime, and Happy, all without their stilts and wearing unweighted Crane-school uniforms, stood over a hospital bed in the basement of the guild. A green-skinned Makarov slept on the bed, breathing harder and harder every second.

"What happened?" Natsu asked, feeling worried for his master.

"He was poisoned by a stealth-mage from Phantom Lord," Levy said. "I found large traces of concentrated scorpion venom throughout his blood. We've been able to extract most of it, but its effects..."

"Now I've gotta beat Phantom Lord twice as hard!" Natsu pounded his fists. "Hopefully they'll be waiting for us on Arulok!"

"Who will fill in for Makarov?" Happy asked.

"He's my master too," Tien said, "so I will."

"You're joining us, Tien?" Orihime smiled, displaying her Fairy Tail stamp on her palm. "I guess we're a team!"

"We'll need a name cooler than 'Shadow Gear'," Natsu said, making Levy giggle.

"Let's think about it later," Tien headed toward the stairs. "It's time."

Natsu smirked. "I'm getting all fired up!"

"Aye!" Happy chimed.

"Let's get to it!" Orihime said.

Levy waved as they ran up the stairs. "Be safe!"

Macao, Wakaba, Cana, and Loke watched as Natsu and Happy rushed toward the doors of the guild. "What are you guys running off to so quickly?"

Wakaba, a tall, slim, light-skinned an with a light brown pompadour chuckled. "You're getting more senile by the second! The boy's heading off into space!"

"Space?!" Macao exclaimed, "Is he gonna come back?"

"He's _Natsu_," Loke said, "of course he's coming back."

"Seeya guys later!" Natsu, Happy, Tien, and Orihime burst into the air, racing toward Konoha.

Inuyasha, Luffy, and Ichigo returned to Konoha as well. Rangiku held to her word, as she followed Vegeta around the village, trying to get him to buy her a drink. "Wait up, Vegeta!"

Vegeta whipped around, looking at the Shinigami in her slightly revealing uniform. He blushed. "How _immodest_!" Vegeta snarled.

"Yeah, and?" Rangiku said.

"Like _I_ would do any social activity with _you_!" Vegeta stepped back as Rangiku came closer.

"You come from a warrior race," Rangiku said. "I'm surprised you're as stuck up as you are."

Vegeta hadn't told her about his heritage. "How-"

"Tail," Rangiku smirked. "I'm smarter than I look."

Vegeta growled, reaching into a pocket of his blue Saiyan jumpsuit. "Here's twenty of this country's ryo."

"I want you to come with me," Rangiku said, grabbing his hand. "We have time."

Vegeta's face turned red as he pulled his hand away. "I have to help with the rockets."

He quickly burst off toward the exam arena as fast as he could manage. "Aww," Rangiku giggled. "Big bad Vegeta's shy!"

Vegeta met the other forty-four members on the expedition in the arena, where nine, large space pods sat in a circle. "Kakarot."

Goku sent a knee strike into Natsu's stomach, doubling over the fire-dragon slayer. "Keep it up, Natsu!"

Natsu hopped to his feet. "Erza! Come and fight me!"

"The ships are ready," Goku said. "Tien's taking Makarov's spot in Yusuke's ship."

Vegeta nodded. "Fury, is it time?"

Nick nodded. "Everyone, to your ships."

Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Gohan headed inside their ship. The ship was large from the inside with five different panels. A knob labeled "Gravity! Caution!" was near a large window. In one of the walls, five beds were placed on top of each other like a mega-bunk bed.

"Where's Trunks?" Gohan looked toward the exit of the ship to see where he had gone. Trunks stood just outside the ship, talking with Erza. "Trunks, stop womanizing and get in here!"

"I'm not womanizing!" Trunks barked. He smiled nervously. "Sorry about that."

"Erza!" Natsu charged toward her. "I'm not done fightin' ya yet!"

Erza winked at Trunks and rushed toward Natsu. Trunks stepped inside, blushing. "Five panels," Trunks headed over to the wall of panels. "We should start familiarizing ourselves with these."

"We're not gonna let you live that down," Gohan said. "Wink, wink."

"It seems like you guys are ready," Nick Fury said from outside of the ship, closing the hatch of the entrance. "Everyone! We leave in three minutes!"

"Sakura! Kakashi-sensei! Bushy Brows! Come on!" Naruto headed toward the ship, wearing his trademark black and orange outfit with the forehead protector. Hinata wore her usual outfit as well, but both she and Naruto had the kanji for Wisdom, Goku's kanji, on the back of their outfits. Hinata hurriedly rushed inside the ship.

"Alien princesses beware!" Lee leaped into the ship, falling into different poses. "The Handsome Devil will soon-" He noticed the large bunk bed in the wall of the ship. "I call top bunk!"

"Too late," Naruto poked his head out from the top bunk. "Guess you're gonna have to deal with the other ones!"

Nick Fury closed the second ship. "I said, now!"

"We're going!" Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Chad, and Uryu entered their ship.

"Tien's riding with us?" Hiei looked Tien up and down, smirking when noticing his third eye. "I'll have someone that will be able to match my Jaganshi."

"Do it later," Yusuke said, heading inside of his ship first. "I wanna see the inside before Kuwabara busts it up."

"What'd you say, Urameshi?!" Kuwabara charged after him.

"I think that's our cue to make sure they don't destroy the ship," Kurama, Tien, and Hiei quickly followed inside the ship, being closed in by Nick Fury.

"I've been everywhere with you, Inuyasha," Kagome giggled. "I'm pretty sure nothing will top this!"

Inuyasha swept Kagome off of her feet, rushing into his spacecraft. "They've been married for what, one year?" Miroku said. "They act like more of a couple than we do."

Shippo coughed. "Maybe if you'd stop acting like a pervert..."

Miroku, Sango, and Shippo followed Inuyasha and Kagome into the ship. Erza sent a kick into Natsu's chest, sending him barreling inside their ship. Lucy and Happy shook their heads in disappointment as they headed inside. Gray smirked. _I'm way faster than I was before, maybe I can-_

"Don't even try it," Erza warned. "We have a mission to complete."

Gray's eyes widened and he ran inside the ship. "Yes, Erza!"

Luffy and the other four Straw Hat pirates had divided responsibilities for their ship: Luffy as captain, Zoro and Usopp as the first and second mates, and Nami and Nico as the navigators. Aang looked out of the window of the ship, marveling like the other benders- and Sokka- at how soon they would be sailing far away from Earth. Edward Elric frowned as he looked out of the window of his own ship. Alphonse put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I," Edward shrugged, "I just had a bad feeling all of the sudden."

"Be a _man_ and tell us why!" Elfman said.

Static crackled on an intercom on the panel board. "T-minus thirty seconds! All astronauts are advised to strap in!"

"I'll tell you after lift-off," Edward said, strapping himself into the pilot's seat.

Nick Fury watched as the nine rockets burst into the air at lightning speed. He smiled. "Good luck in finding that Dragonball!" His smile faded as a sudden feeling of dread washed over him. He shrugged as well. "Besides for that petty Dark Guild, they'll be fine."

Even though he told himself this, the feeling of dread would not go away.


	5. Takeoff

**I own nothing**

Vegeta and Trunks sparred in the center of the ship. Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan stood next to a window, slowly drifting away from Earth even though the ship flew at a furious pace. "The last time the three of us went to a different planet together was Namek, right?" Gohan said.

"Yeah," Goku smiled. "That was eleven years ago. You were five then, Gohan."

Gohan nodded. "That was fun. Besides for the ordeal with Frieza, anyway."

"I took away a bit more than I wanted from my homeland," Piccolo mumbled, wincing as Nail continued to snore inside his head. "Get up! I can't think straight with your incessant snoring!"

_What?_ Nail said, _I sleep when you sleep, is that how it is?_

"As long as you're in _my_ head, you follow by _my_ rules!" Piccolo shouted, silencing the ship.

"Uh, Mr. Piccolo, who are you talking to?" Gohan asked.

"No one," Piccolo cleared his throat. "No one."

Awkward silence filled the room. Trunks cleared his throat and headed over to the panels. "While you guys were busy fighting, I learned the different functions of each of the five panels," he said, pointing to the center panel. "This is the communicator's seat. He is able to speak to the eight other ships by scrolling through the abbreviations for each ship. He is also the one in charge of delivering messages to the hangar bay and anywhere outside using the speakers."

"I will be there," Vegeta said. "I'm the best with words."

"Err..." Trunks recalled all of the arguments between Vegeta and Goku that would end with Vegeta throwing punches. "Sure, why not."

"What about the other ones?" Goku asked.

"To the communicator's left is the pilot's seat. He uses the controls displayed on the panel above it along with this board of knobs and buttons. This gear thruster stick will actually change the direction of the spacecraft," Trunks sat in the pilot's seat. "I'll be taking this one."

"The one to Vegeta's right is the radar and on the far left and right are the weapon controls," Gohan said, "Each panel says what it's for on the top of it."

"Goku and I will take the weapons," Piccolo said. "Gohan, you take the radar controls."

"Alright," Gohan said, "let's make sure that everyone else has an idea of what they need to do."

Trunks nodded, pressing each abbreviation for the other ships. "Can everyone hear me? Please respond."

"We hear you," Sakura's voice said, "well Hinata and I do at least; Naruto and Lee are fighting and Kakashi's up on the top bunk reading his erotic novel."

"Gotcha," Ichigo's voice said, "it took a second to figure out what every button did."

"Is it on?" Kuwabara's voice said. "Move, Urameshi!"

"I called it!" Yusuke barked. Scuffling and static could be heard in the background.

"Sorry," Kurama's voice said, "Hiei, Tien and I are the only ones that are mature."

"Space is boring," Inuyasha said bluntly, "I'm going to sleep."

"How is outer space boring?" Lucy said, "Things are fine over on our end and Natsu and Gtay _don't_ have control over the weapons."

"Luffy knows how to run a ship. We're fine," Nami said.

"We'll be fine too," Toph said, "as long as Sokka doesn't do something stupid."

"That goes for Elfman too," Edward whispered.

Sakura turned away from the communicator on the center panel. "Naruto, Lee, knock it off! I don't want you guys busting up the ship."

"I am sorry, Sakura!" Lee backpedaled, speedily evading Naruto's attacks. "The fiery spirit of battle cannot be extinguished!"

"Then finish this up!" Sakura folded her arms.

"Alright!" Naruto smirked. "It's time to show you some new techniques Goku-sensei taught me!"

Lee rushed toward Naruto with his fist cocked back. "Go ahead!"

Naruto dodged the punch and returned his own, slamming his fist into Lee's stomach. "Blast fist!" he exclaimed, sending Lee bouncing off the ceiling with a scorch mark on his stomach. Naruto burst into the air. "Get ready!"

"I won't let you! Falling Dynamic Entry!" Lee whipped around, sending his heel into Naruto's face.

Naruto flipped back, landing on the ground. He spiked his aura while performing a series of hand signs. "Shadow Clone jutsu!"

Two clones appeared from smoke. Lee scoffed. "Elementary, Naruto!"

The clones burst toward the ceiling, dodging Lee's kicks. Naruto burst into the air, sending a volley of punches into Lee's face. Naruto whipped around in a full circle, sending Lee sailing toward the wall with a roundhouse kick. The clones followed up with dual kicks into Lee's back, bouncing him back toward Naruto. "Naruto's Great Home Run Technique!" Naruto and his two clones surrounded Lee, beating him from all sides. "Let's finish this, guys!" The two clones nodded, grabbing a hold of Lee's legs. Naruto dropped to the ground, cocking his leg back. The clones whipped Lee towards Naruto.

Lee smirked. "This combo only works if your kick hits!"

Naruto's eyes widened as Lee rolled out of the way of the kick in mid-air. Lee grabbed Naruto's leg and threw him into the clones, making them disappear on impact. Naruto flipped around and propelled himself from the ceiling, charging two waves of energy in his hands. "That's enough, Naruto," Kakashi said. "Continue your fight when we're past the possibility of blowing the ship."

Naruto landed on his feet and slowly depleted his visible aura. "Nice job, Lee!"

Lee laughed. "Same to you, Naruto! What kind of training did you and Hinata go through?"

"The same stuff we did while training for the Dark Tournament," Naruto said. "Yusuke, Edward, Aang, and I did some more advanced training though. I now can control where my chi travels through my body. I also know a bunch of new strong techniques!"

"We'll see how strong when we reach Arulok," Lee said. "You've become a lot faster too. I wonder if Hinata's as fast since she has the same teacher."

"I'm not as fast as you or Naruto," Hinata said, "but I have become faster than I was before."

"You're light on your feet," Naruto said, "and if you keep up with Goku's training you'll be faster than me in no time."

"Tsunade was little to no help," Sakura said, "when she wasn't gambling, she was drinking or working on paperwork."

"So you just sparred with people in the village?" Kakashi asked, "Piccolo and I would have been happy to help you."

Sakura chuckled nervously. "No, no, but thank you."

"Our training was a dud," Kakashi said. "The Great Demon Deliora was frozen with an enchanted ice-make spell. Deliora wasn't even the main problem."

Lee smirked. "Naruto, let's fight!"

Sakura growled. "I just told you no!"

Naruto and Lee flinched. "Sorry, Sakura!"

* * *

A large flash of light from outside of the ship awoke Ichigo. It had been approximately five days since they left Earth, which meant that Arulok was close by. "What was that?"

"It's about time you got up!" Rukia said, dragging a half-naked Ichigo to the pilot's chair.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked.

"Ambush by a group of Saiyan spacecraft!" Trunks shouted over the intercom. "We've entered Arulok's atmosphere! Prepare for an emergency landing!"

"How many are there?" Ichigo asked.

"Don't know!" Chad said, "Their cloaking devices are nullifying our radar!"

Ichigo took a hold of the controls and closed his eyes, sensing the chi signatures of every enemy ship. "They're large ships. We're hit inside a loose tractor beam; we don't have the propulsion to escape it."

"What do we do then?" Lucy asked in desperation, trying to work both radar and piloting due to Natsu's incapacitated state.

"I had a feeling something like this would happen," Nick Fury's voice said from the communication devices in the ships. "I had emergency escape pods installed before you took off. Everyone, press all five red buttons on the pilot's controls."

"Wait!" Ichigo darted around the ship, quickly dressing into his lightweight Piccolo-Daimao outfit without the cape and turban. He and Rukia sheathed their Zanpakuto and Uryu slung his bow and quiver on his shoulder. "Alright!" Ichigo pressed all five buttons, quickly drawing his hand back as a pod built itself around him. "Hey!"

"I don't know where you'll end up on Arulok," Nick Fury said. "Good luck."

"Natsu!" Happy could be heard shouting from the speaker.

Ichigo's pod burst into the air and through the top of his ship, dodging a large yellow laser beam from an invisible enemy spaceship. He could only watch, as confused and as scared as all of his friends that raced toward the planet like him, not knowing where he'd end up.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha raced toward planet Arulok as well. He pressed a button labeled, "communicate with home base". "Nick Fury."

"Your friends are alright, although everyone else on your ship was badly injured, forcing me to reroute their pods back to Earth. They'll be fine once given proper medical care." Nick Fury said. "Everyone has split up thanks to this ambush. You will have to gather everyone by yourself. I'm sure that the people of Arulok would side with us as well, but I still apologize. Brace for landing."

"Whoever these bastards are that hurt my friends and Kagome," Inuyasha looked out of the small window of his space pod, revealing the bright, teal sky and the white, powdery snow. Black mountains sat on the horizon majestically and grew bigger as Inuyasha raced toward the ground. He opened the latch to the ship and leaped out with his sword drawn, smirking as two Saiyan soldiers watched him from below. "They're all gonna get it."

"Fire!" The Saiyan soldiers yelled, sending a volley of energy waves toward Inuyasha.

Inuyasha fazed out, dodging the waves and appearing behind the two armored soldiers. "Boo."

The soldiers whipped around. "You come here!"

Inuyasha swung his sword, cutting clean through one of the soldiers. He stepped forward and shot his free hand forward, sending a large wave of energy into the second soldier. He sheathed his sword and shivered. "So cold!" Inuyasha burst into the air. "That was boring," he said, bursting into the air. "I wonder how everyone else is doing."

Naruto found a second ship. Yusuke shakily climbed out of it and waved to him. "Hey! Naruto!"

"Yusuke!" Naruto said. "I can't sense anyone else from here!"

"Then let's go find everyone else," Yusuke said, bursting into the air.

The two heroes marveled at the large, black mountains and the strange plant life as they flew over it, comparing it to the life on Earth. Yusuke looked toward the ground and stopped. "Hold up."

Naruto looked toward the ground as well. "What's going on?"

On the ground sat a small village made out of black-stoned houses with white-wood roofs. The houses were arranged in a large circle with a few strange plants sprouting in the center. A short, fat, pink skinned alien wearing Saiyan armor headed into one of the houses, followed by loud screaming from inside the house. The alien walked out of the house, carrying a small child with tan skin, black hair, and elf-like ears out of the house across its shoulder. It lifted its hand, sending several chi blasts into the other houses. Naruto's fists clenched as her heard the screaming of the child and of the beings inside of the house. "Yusuke..."

"Calm down, Naruto," Yusuke said. "We're not completely sure who's in the wrong here."

"I'll apologize if he's on our side," Naruto spiked his aura and burst toward the ground.

"Great," Yusuke followed his friend to the ground, landing in front of the alien.

"Who the hell are you?" the apparently male alien asked, "Get outta my way before I stomp you out like everyone else I've faced on this shit-hole."

"Put the kid down," Naruto glared at him.

"That headband!" The alien laughed. "You two are part of that team from Earth!"

Yusuke fell into stance. "How would you know?"

The alien smirked. "Three of you have already fallen to me."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Who?"

"The girl named Winry, the girl named Nami, and the boy named Sokka," The alien flexed his flabby muscles. "To the wrath of Kuuzer's left hand man: Dodoria!" Dodoria chuckled. "I kept them alive so I could cook em' over this fire along with this runt."

"You're gonna have to get past me first," a voice said behind Dodoria, making him nearly wet himself.

"Vegeta!" Yusuke smirked.

"Certainly," Dodoria threw the kid to the ground and spiked his aura.

Vegeta spiked his aura as well. "I'm glad I get the opportunity to kill you twice."

"Three against one?" Dodoria folded his arms. "That isn't fair, Vegeta."

"You think I'd let _them_ take you down?" Vegeta sent a kick into Dodoria's back. "Yusuke, Naruto, carry the injured directly northwest. There are people that may help you there."

"What about you?" Naruto asked.

"After I kill Dodoria, I'm finding everyone else," Vegeta said. "Leave."

Naruto and Yusuke nodded reluctantly. Yusuke hefted the kid across one shoulder and ran after Naruto into the only house left standing. Winry, Nami, and Sokka laid on the ground unconscious. Yusuke hefted Winry across his other shoulder and Naruto slung Sokka across one shoulder and Nami across another. "Let's go!" The two quickly ran out of the house and burst into the air, leaving Vegeta to showdown with Dodoria.

Dodoria charged toward Vegeta as fast as he could. "Try this!"

Vegeta hopped in the air, dodging a punch and returning a kick to Dodoria's face. "You were too slow for me on Namek and you're still too slow for me now." Vegeta flipped back. "Are you done warming up?"

Dodoria growled and charged again, swinging wildly at the Saiyan elite. "I'll kill you!"

Vegeta laughed. "Wow, you suck! You're worse than you were on Namek!" He sent a punch into Dodoria's stomach, doubling the large alien over on his fist. "Tch. Can I start fighting now?"

Dodoria fazed out, chasing after Yusuke and Naruto. "If I go down, all six of them are coming with me!"

Vegeta laughed again. "Pathetic!" He fazed out, reappearing in front of Dodoria. "Guess who?"

"Vegeta!" Dodoria exclaimed.

"Nope!" Vegeta shouted, "Chuck Testa!"

"Who the hell is Chuck Testa?!" Dodoria flipped around and charged, throwing a volley of chi blasts at Vegeta.

Vegeta thrust his palm, sending an invisible shockwave to destroy the chi. "Is it my turn now?"

"I ain't about to lose to you again!" Dodoria smirked. "I'll just put a call into my boys and you'll get swarmed! Ha!"

"Oh yeah," Vegeta said, "Zarbon's part of your lot too."

"I remember him beating the shit out of you last time!" Dodoria said.

"Too bad you won't get to see it," Vegeta spiked his aura and fazed out, slamming his knee into Dodoria's back. "Well, if hell allows you to watch things here, I guess you will."

"I'm not about to die today!" Dodoria declared, hopping back and spiking his aura as well. "Tri-form!" He crossed his arms in an "X" and split into four other Dodorias.

"That's four, dumbass," Vegeta said, counting four Dodorias including the original one.

"Try keepin' up with me now!" Dodoria exclaimed, all five of him charging.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "You can only fight to twenty percent of your capabilities now."

Vegeta impaled the four clones with energy beams, leaving only the original left standing. "Damn you!" Dodoria exclaimed.

Vegeta smirked. "I'm feeling a bit generous today."

Dodoria growled. "What?"

"Give me your scouter, get in your space pod, and leave," Vegeta said. "Don't try attacking Earth either. There are fighters there that would run laps around you."

"Don't pity me with your mercy!"

"Last chance."

"No!" Dodoria spiked his aura and cocked his head back. "Time to end this!" A purple ball of energy formed inside his mouth. "Dodoria Big Blaster!"

In a swift swipe of the hand, Vegeta deflected the Big Blaster into the sky and fazed out, sending Dodoria slamming into the ground with a kick.

"W-what?" Dodoria lifted himself to his knees.

"Don't grovel," A yellow ball of chi rested on Vegeta's palm. "I'll make this-" A shiver ran up his spine, making his eyes widen. "You know what? I won't even waste my energy on you right now. I have more important things to attend to at the moment."

Dodoria growled as Vegeta flew higher and higher into the sky. "If those little twerps think they can outrun me, they've got another thing coming! And when I get my hands on them, they're gonna lose a lot more than their eyes! Do you hear me!? I'm gonna tear you apart! I'm gonna rip you to pieces! And I'm gonna love every minute of it!" Dodoria smirked. "I better tell Zarbon first."

* * *

Natsu closed his eyes. _Darn... everyone is so far-_ A small, red dot appeared in the center of his chi sensory sight. He smiled. "Ichigo!"

"Hey Natsu," Happy's stomach growled. "Can it be your turn to hold Lucy? I'm hungry."

"You're gonna eat her?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"No," Happy said. "Lucy and I are both hurt pretty bad thanks to the crash landing and those weird soldier guys. That combined with no fish on this planet so far leaves me pretty weak."

"I'm already carrying Alphonse," Natsu grunted. "Let's just wait for Ichigo to get over here."

"Natsu!" Ichigo yelled, "Are you okay? I'm with Chad!" Ichigo and Chad ran towards him, carrying a fallen Orihime and Sakura. "Who's with you?"

"Happy, Lucy, and Alphonse!" Natsu yelled, "They're hurt pretty badly."

"I passed by Vegeta before I ran into a group of Phantom Lord wizards and a fat, pink guy! He told me to bring whoever I could find to the royal city of this planet immediately!" Ichigo said, "Those wizards hurt Orihime and Sakura. Hopefully the healers here can heal humans."

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "They hurt Orihime?"

Ichigo's eyes widened once he saw Lucy's wounds and the slow trail of blood seeping from her arms. "What happened?"

"A bunch of guys wearing the same armor as Vegeta just appeared outta nowhere," Natsu said, "and we beat them, but they were pretty strong."

"After we get them to a safe place," Ichigo's fists clenched. "We find the main headquarters of whoever is causing this."

"We'll kick their asses," Natsu pounded his fists together. "Sounds good; where is this royal city?"

"Northeast of here," Ichigo said. "Chad can't fly, so we're stuck walking."

"I found you!" a familiar voice said, making Natsu perk up.

"Tien!" Natsu turned to the tri-clops in the sky waving to them. "I guess ou guys weren't the only ones in a fight. A lot of you guys seem to be hurt; I'll carry them to the royal city." Tien closed his third eye, causing veins to bulge in his forehead.

"That's..." Ichigo watched as Tien's veins pulsed. "Creepy."

Tien raised his hands, causing all of their unconscious friends and Chad to float into the air. "You can do that?" Natsu exclaimed. "Why didn't you teach _me_ that?"

"To master telekinesis, you need immense concentration," Tien said.

Ichigo smirked. "In which you apparently lack."

Natsu turned to Ichigo. "What?"

"Nothing," Ichigo said. "Let's follow Tien."

"What'd you say about me?" Natsu persisted.

"Nothing, seriously."

Tien led them to the Royal City: a city that marked it boundaries by golden gates standing thirty feet tall. Inside were hundreds of rows of large, black houses separated by red stoned fences. The roads and paths throughout the city were made of a blue, transparent glass-like material. In the center of the city was a ginormous castle made of black stone with green cupolas over every tall pillar built on the castle. Natsu gasped. "Whoa!"

Tien started toward the gate. "Let's go-"

"Wait!" Ichigo reached into a pocket of his Daimao uniform, pulling out his I-phone.

"We don't have time for this," Chad said.

"One picture!" Ichigo lifted the phone into the air and took a picture of the city. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

"Halt!" Two tall men wearing gray armor and carrying spears walked up to the gate. "Who are you?"

"We're from Earth," Tien said. "Fury's team."

The guards nodded and activated a lever from behind the gates, swinging them open. "Right this way."

The guards led them to the tall, white doors of the castle and pushed them open. "This place is huge!" Natsu said. The inside was as magnificent as the outside with blue and white checker floors and walls. Huge, bright, golden chandeliers lined up from the entrance of the castle to the throne. Parallel to the chandeliers, a long, red carpet led from the entrance to the throne which sat on top of a series of stairs. Paintings and weapons were hung on the walls, along with all kinds of artifacts from the past of Arulok.

"Queen Sepharia, more of Fury's team has found their way to the castle," one guard said.

"Good; have them lay the injured next to the pedestal to the throne," Queen Sepharia, a tall, beautiful, light-skinned elf-like humanoid with straight, waist length blonde hair and dark green eyes said. Next to her on a smaller throne was a slightly shorter but just as beautiful elf-like humanoid with tan skin, light purple eyes, and long, wavy, platinum white hair. "This is the princess, my daughter, Inala. She and the elder, Iilduun, can heal your friends. Thank you for helping us with the armies that have been plaguing our peaceful kingdom; Katara, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Rukia fended the first army of the enemy off until they collapsed of wounds and exhaustion after it was over."

"Rukia?" Ichigo, Natsu, Tien, and Chad ran over to the side of the pedestal and sighed in relief as their three friends smiled weakly at them. "You missed a hell of a fight," Kuwabara laughed.

"I am Iilduun, the last remaining fifth-age elder of Arulok," Iilduun, an extremely tall, scrawny Arulokian with a gray, scraggly beard said, "lay them here."

Tien nodded and laid their injured friends in a row. "Natsu, Ichigo, we'd best be off-"

"No!" Inala shouted, wide-eyed and breathing fast. "Two of them, now!"

"Iilduun, take Inala to safety!" Sepharia shot up from her throne with amazing speed and rushed toward the doors of the palace. "Those who can fight, join me!"

Natsu rushed outside and heard a loud roar that shook the ground. He looked up into the sky and gasped, barely believing what he was seeing. "Dragon!"

"A what?" Ichigo and Chad looked into the sky, watching as a second dragon flew overhead.

A yellow aura formed around the Queen, surprising Tien. He didn't suspect the royalty of anything to actually have the power equal to their level in politics. She ran down a few steps and took a deep breath. "Joor Zah Frul!" she shouted.

A blue aura surrounded both dragons, forcing them to the ground. "Her voice made them land!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Destroy them!" Sepharia pointed to the direction in which they fell. "They will destroy the city if we cannot be rid of them first!"

"Natsu, you and I take one, Ichigo and Chad take the other!" Tien said, bursting toward the dragons.

One dragon climbed to its feet, standing menacingly at twenty feet tall. The sun glinted off of its green scales and large wings. It turned its attention toward Tien and Natsu and reared its head back, letting a ball of fire form in its mouth. "Hey!" Natsu shouted, "Do you know where Igneel is?"

The dragon didn't answer.

Tien spiked his aura. "Come on, Natsu!"

Natsu sighed and charged toward the dragon. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu dodged a stream of fire and cocked his fist back, slamming the fiery punch into the dragon's face. The dragon flew back, sailing uncontrollably into the air. It flipped around, regaining its wits with his wings. "Let's finish this!" Natsu formed his hands into a diamond shape. "Ki Blast Cannon of the Fire Dragon!" A fiery, diamond shaped wave of chi flew from Natsu's hands, washing over the dragon and turning it into nothing more than a charred heap of scales. "That was a weak dragon," Natsu said, "There is no way Igneel would have lost so easily."

The second dragon lunged at Ichigo. Ichigo hopped into the air and thrust his sword downward, impaling it in its brain. Both dragons lay limp on the ground. Ichigo stepped away from the dragon as its skin started to steam and burn off; the steam formed a bright ball of white light over the corpse. "Natsu?"

"I know!" Natsu watched as a white ball of energy hung over the dragon he had slain. "What is it?"

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. "How should I know?" Ichigo stepped forward and placed his hand on the ball of energy.

"Don't do that!" Natsu shouted.

"Uh, Natsu?" Tien pointed at Natsu's hand.

Natsu looked at his hand and gasped, realizing he was touching the white orb as well. "Gah!"

Ichigo yelped in pain and threw his head back, mouth agape as his eyes began to glow white. Chad watched quizzically at what was happening to his friend. "Ichigo?" A white aura surrounded Ichigo as the white orb grew smaller then disappeared. Ichigo's body writhed as consciousness returned to him.

Ichigo looked at his white aura. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," Natsu said, "but it came from whatever that white orb was."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Ichigo said.

"Just doing my job, Sidekick Sarcasm," Natsu responded.

"You!" Sepharia exclaimed, "Do you have any idea of what just happened?"

"No," Natsu said.

Inala peaked out from a trap door on the floor next to the throne. "Are they gone?"

The queen, Natsu, Ichigo, Tien, and Chad entered the castle. "I felt the dragons' powers disappear," Iilduun said, "Then an energy force which I've not felt in a long time."

"It's these two," Sepharia gestured toward Natsu and Ichigo.

"I know," Iilduun smirked. "They are two of the nine in which the prophecy of the sixth age has foretold."

"Are you sure?" Inala asked.

Iilduun approached Natsu and Ichigo. "A white aura still surrounds them."

"What is it?" Ichigo asked.

Iilduun smiled. "It was told that during the sixth age, this age, there would come a great plague unto our land which would aid the dragons into beginning their quest to rule the entire known universe."

"A plague as in sickness?" Ichigo asked.

"No, a plague of men," Iilduun said. "They would come from the stars and wreak havoc upon our land, massacring all that stood in their way; however, in our darkest hour, nine sent not only from the stars but from the divines themselves would arrive bearing the soul of a dragon but the flesh of a human to restore peace to our planet by destroying the plague and the dragons."

"If the dragons are here on Arulok, why is it that a human is to destroy them?" Natsu asked.

Iilduun cleared his throat. "Long ago, the chief dragon, Acnologia, tried to enslave your planet, Earth," Iilduun said. "They conquered nearly all of it with ease, but there was one they feared. In their tongue, he was Dovahkiin. Dragonborn. Using the language of the dragons themselves, he defeated Acnologia and sent him along with the rest of his race from Earth and now they are here to enslave us. Only a human, a Dragonborn, one who can absorb the soul of a dragon, can defeat him for good and restore peace to the whole universe!"

"The white orb was its..." Natsu could barely say it. "Soul?"

"Just because it looked like those two absorbed the dragons' power does not mean they did for certain," Inala glared at her mother, the queen. "You remember the last nine 'Dragonborn' we had."

Sepharia bowed her head in shame. "Yes daughter, I remember."

"We have time to determine whether they are," Iilduun said. "But first we need to gather the other seven."

"You said they came from the stars, right?" Ichigo said, "The other seven are most likely among us."

"We should continue this conversation once everyone is here," Natsu said.

The doors swung open and a heaving Luffy and Aang rushed inside. Uryu followed inside, along with a poorly bandaged Elfman and Mirajane. Cuts and bruises dotted the five, and apparently Elfman and Mirajane were hurt the most."There are two dead dragons outside!" Elfman said excitedly.

"Katara!" Aang exclaimed, rushing to his close friend.

"What happened to them?" Natsu asked.

"We crashed into Arulok with the doors of our escape pods facing down," Luffy said.

"We managed to pull out the big shards of glass that was in them and dull the bleeding, but they'll be out of it for a while," Uryu said.

"This isn't what a _man_ does!" Elfman and Mirajane sat down with the rest of their injured friends. "I didn't even get to get hurt in a fight!"

"It's better that you heal right now," Mirajane smiled. "Then you can worry about getting hurt in a fight."

"Aang, Luffy, Uryu, come with us," Ichigo said. Natsu, Tien, Chad, and Ichigo headed toward the palace doors. "We need to have everyone here."

"Right," Natsu said, "We should probably see if anyone is relatively close-by."

Ichigo, Natsu, Luffy, and Aang closed their eyes. The veins in Tien's forehead bulged, nearly causing Uryu to become sick. "Four chi signatures about fifty miles west of here just landed." Ichigo opened his eyes. "Natsu, can you tell who they are?"

Natsu smirked. "It's about time _she_ got here." He spiked his aura and burst into the air.

* * *

Edward broke the glass of his pod and jumped out, taking a quick sigh of relief as it hit the ground and exploded moments later. He looked down, seeing a large, stone, dome structure with a dark aura circling around it. Three more pods raced past him and hit the ground, but did not explode. _Okay, I see how it is, Fury._ "What's this?" He landed on his feet and rushed toward the three ships. Trunks climbed out of one of the ships and shook the dizziness in his head away. Erza and Gray climbed out of the others.

"Is everyone alright?" Trunks asked.

"I believe so," Erza said.

"So," Edward pointed to the large, enchanted structure they crashed in front of. "That."

"I sense a few chi signatures that are inside." Trunks closed his eyes. "It feels like they're being restricted by something, but I can't tell what."

"Are they friends?" Gray asked.

"I'm not sure," Trunks said, unsheathing his sword. "A black chi around an object generally isn't a good sign, but I've been wrong before."

"Let's go see what's inside," Erza said. "Maybe we can find the three star ball in here."

Edward and Trunks reluctantly pushed the two large black doors open and walked inside. "Trunks," Edward said, "this is a catacomb."

Rows of dead, decaying, people of Arulok made up the walls of the large catacomb. Four large coffins were placed at the opposite end and between them was a large, wooden door, most likely leading them farther into the catacomb. One large torch was placed in the center of the room for light. A chill ran up Edward's spine. "Did anyone else feel that?"

Erza nodded. She drew her sword. "Whatever it is, it's close," Trunks said.

The lids to the four coffins slid off, revealing the grayish-blue, rotting flesh of the nobles buried there. "I don't think that's supposed to happen." A blue aura formed around Gray as he subconsciously ripped his clothes off, getting ready to fight in just blue boxers. "Ice make: Bow!" A bow made out of ice along with an ice quiver slung across his back formed from thin air. He notched an arrow and aimed it at one of the coffins.

Edward's auto-mail hand retracted into its arm. A long blade replaced his hand. The four armed warriors slowly crept toward the coffins and peered over them. The bodies were crudely armored with rusty helmets, gauntlets, boots, and breastplates made out of a type of leather-like material. Their eyes shot open, revealing blue, glowing eyes. Edward hopped back as one of them sat up, glaring directly at him. "Asuuq ni dilon!" it said, climbing out of its coffin.

The other three bodies climbed out of their coffins and unsheathed their swords. "Kumas daraki!"

"I don't think they are friends, Gray." Erza clashed with one of them, impaling it in the stomach then driving the rest of the blade through its skull. Erza pulled her sword out and spun around, decapitating it.

Gray shot three ice arrows into another one, smirking as his arrows dropped the ghoulish creature to its knees, dead once again. "Yeah."

Edward dodged a slash and fazed out, reappearing behind his opponent. Edward grabbed the back of its skull and yanked it back, stabbing it twice in its heart. Trunks dodged a cut from the last ghoul and spun around, cleanly slicing its head off. Trunks sheathed his sword. "That's taken care of."

A bright light entered the catacomb as the doors opened. "Anybody in here?"

"Who's asking?" Gray said.

Luffy, Naruto, Yusuke, and Aang walked into the catacomb. Edward smiled and ran to meet them. "Hey guys, how did you find us?"

"Vegeta and Inuyasha had been flying around, taking the injured to the capital city of this planet. If they found any of us who managed to stay safe, they told us to find who they could and meet up there." Yusuke looked at the walls of the catacombs, not even acting surprised as more of the ghouls crawled out of their dead state. "Trunks, Erza, Gray, Vegeta needs you to meet with him at the castle."

Trunks nodded. "Let's go."

The doors to the catacomb slammed behind them, leaving Edward, Luffy, Naruto, Yusuke, and Aang alone. Edward led them through the door behind the coffins and down a long corridor, reaching a set of large, metal doors. "Wait." Aang said. "Five large chi signatures are inside."

"And?" Luffy pushed the doors open. "Let's go say hello."


	6. Goku Arrives

**I own nothing. **

Edward, Yusuke, Naruto, Aang, and Luffy gasped as they entered the second catacomb. The second catacomb was a lot taller than the previous one and a lot skinnier, with fewer bodies in the walls and only one coffin. A small light was up at the top and a cold wind blew from it. It wasn't what they literally saw that made them gasp, but it was what they felt. "Am I the only one that feels that... that power?" Yusuke clenched his fists. "It's not like anything I've felt before."

"We feel it too," Aang looked up toward the light. "It's coming from up there."

"Let's check it out." Luffy and the others flew toward the light, which turned out to be an exit. It had begun to snow, turning the blue sky gray and bringing in lots of clouds overhead. The catacombs were a paradox, as the first catacomb could be seen about seventy five feet away. The corridor connecting them couldn't have been that long.

Edward was the first out of the catacombs. "These are big eggs!" he exclaimed.

"Five of them." Naruto shivered. They were on a giant nest with five large eggs sitting in a circle huddled near one edge of the nest. "I wonder how they're staying alive in there."

Aang excitedly pressed his ear to one of the eggs and his heart sank. "They're not."

"What do you mean?" Yusuke said, "I can sense a high energy coming from each of the eggs!"

Edward placed his ear to an egg as well. "I hear no heartbeat either, Yusuke," Edward said.

"That doesn't make sense!" Yusuke closed his eyes. "Their chi signatures are moving upward!"

"Like that?" Luffy pointed to five white orbs slowly rising above the eggs.

Naruto reached out and touched one. "This energy feels... weird-" His body went limp but did not fall, like the white orb suspended in mid-air. Naruto's eyes began to glow bright white and a cold, bright aura spiked around him.

"Naruto?!" Luffy exclaimed, "What's happening?"

"I don't think he's able to answer." Yusuke closed his eyes again. "Naruto's power is rising insanely fast!"

"Really?" Luffy stretched his arm reaching for a white orb. "There!" He grabbed an orb and pulled it down in front of him, going slack like his friend Naruto.

"Luffy, no!" Edward, Yusuke, and Aang stepped away from their friends, watching as the white orbs slowly shrunk until they disappeared and feeling the power of their friends rise dramatically.

The white aura around Naruto slowly faded into a slight glow. He hit the ground and yelped in surprised, quickly hopping to his feet. "Whoa!" Naruto smirked. "Whatever just happened, I liked it."

"You absorbed the white orb," Edward said, cringing as Luffy hit the ground and regained consciousness. "I'm not sure what that will do to you or what it means, but I'd suggest-"

"It means that Naruto and Luffy are stronger than I am! Like I'm gonna let that be for long!" Yusuke hopped into the air and grabbed an orb, going through the same process as Naruto and Luffy did.

Edward looked at Aang. "You're about to do it too, aren't you?"

"If it means more power to stop the Fire Nation!" Aang flew into the air, placing both hands on the fourth orb.

"We could be stealing this for all we know!" Edward burst toward the fifth orb and placed his hand on it.

All five orbs were completely gone now, leaving the five warriors in a giant nest belonging to a mystery species. "We should get back to the Royal City," Aang said, "everyone's probably starting to get worried."

Edward nodded. "Let's go."

They leaped off the edge of the nest and burst into the air, making it to the Royal City in no time. They opened the doors of the palace and rushed in to escape the cold. "It's about time you got here," Inuyasha said, still stomping snow off of his sandals. He was surrounded by a white aura as well; he must have met a dragon on his journey here as well.

"Is this everyone?" Vegeta said, "Piccolo, Gohan, start taking head count."

"Forty," Gohan said, "Wait... there should be forty-one. Let me count again."

"No need." Piccolo turned to him. "I counted forty as well."

"What?!" Vegeta said, "Well that's impossible if everyone's here-"

"Hey guys," Toph said, laying next to an injured Katara, "Where's Goku?"

Vegeta cringed. "goddammit, Kakarot."

* * *

"Ginyu said the source of power was up here and to destroy it if it's not a Dragonball, so be ready for a fight," Sasuke said, leading team Hebi through the snowstorm. They trudged up a hill and stopped, staring in awe at the source of power. It turned it's green, scaly head and stared back with bright yellow eyes as it curled around an egg proportionate to its size.

"It looks like a dragon! There are dragons on Arulok?!" Suigetsu exclaimed, unsheathing his sword and walking toward it, slowly raising his blade.

One of the dragon's wings covered the egg, staring at Sasuke.

Sasuke felt like it was pleading with him. _If this brings me a step closer in killing Itachi..._ "Kill it."

The dragon reared its head back, taking a deep breath. It opened its mouth, letting a torrent of fire spew toward Sasuke.

Sasuke leaped over the line of fire and cocked his heel back, delivering a nasty heel kick to the dragon's head. Sasuke hopped off its head and cocked his arm with his sword in hand back. The dragon quickly batted Suigetsu and Karin into the air and let out a trail of frost onto Jugo. Jugo's face quickly turned gray as he charged, beating the dragon around its face. "I'll kill you!" He spiked his aura and cocked his arm back. "Sage Transformation jutsu!" His arm morphed, changing into a large war axe. He brought his arm down, cutting a large gash into the dragon's eye. It screeched in pain, but only for a moment, as Sasuke's sword impaled its side, killing the dragon. Sasuke sheathed his sword and pushed the dead dragon's wing off its egg. Jugo raised his axe again, ready to destroy the unborn dragon.

"Don't you touch that egg!" someone shouted above them, "It's enough!"

Sasuke turned to see who it was. His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched as he remembered the loss in the Dark Tournament. "Son Goku," he growled, spiking his aura.

Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo spiked their auras as well. "Who is that guy?" Karin asked.

"The second biggest hindrance in killing Itachi!" Sasuke cocked his arm back and leaped into the air, forming a ball of lightning on his hand. The lightning did not crackle, but it chirped, as if a thousand birds were singing nearby. "Chidori!" He burst toward Goku and thrust his arm forward.

Goku dodged and grabbed his arm. "Hey Sasuke."

"I have nothing to say to you!" Sasuke said, before being slammed into the ground.

Goku spiked his aura, watching as Sasuke's team surrounded him. "Alright, what's it going to be? One on one, or all together?" Jugo charged, swinging wildly at Goku. Goku ducked a punch and returned his own, arching Jugo over his fist. Goku fazed out, knocking Suigetsu to the ground with a powerful kick to the face.

Karin and Sasuke were the only two left standing. _He wasn't nearly as fast last time we fought!_ Sasuke let out a battle cry as he and Karin charged together.

Goku started to backpedal as Karin and Sasuke battered his defense with their attacks. "You've gotten faster too, Sasuke." Goku sent a punch into Karin's chin cringing as he heard a slight _crunch_ from her jaw. He ducked a sword slash from Sasuke and countered with a palm strike to Sasuke's nose, sending the teen sailing into the air. He fazed out once again, beating Sasuke from all sides, not giving any opening to counter. Goku burst higher into the air and cocked his heel back, beginning an extremely rapid descent.

Sasuke's body hurt all over and his arms and legs were sore. He could only watch as Goku brought his heel down on his face, sending him crashing into the snow once again. Sasuke weakly climbed to his feet and glared at the Saiyan, who tossed Karin aside with a kick to the ribs. Goku folded his arms, spiking his aura once again. "I'll give you to the count of three." Jugo, Karin, and Suigetsu stood up. "One,"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. _I have no choice._ "We're leaving."

Suigetsu stared at Sasuke like he had grown a third eye. "You're retreating from a fight?!"

Sasuke turned away from Goku and started running. Karin and Jugo quickly followed after. Goku glared at Suigetsu. "Two." His hair began to spike, flickering between blonde and black.

Suigetsu cursed under his breath and ran after his teammates.

Goku closed his eyes and placed two fingers to his forehead. _The collective energies of everyone is just enough for a chance at Instant Transmission. _Goku walked over to the egg and placed his hand on it. "I can still feel a heartbeat!" Goku turned to the egg's deceased guardian and clapped his hands together. He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry it had to turn out this way. For that, I promise to take care of your egg for you." Goku opened his eyes and looked up, noticing a white orb of energy hovering over the dead dragon. As if led to it, he slowly extended his arm and touched it. He found himself on the ground surrounded by a white aura. "Did I just black out?" He noticed the white aura around him and stood up. The sky had grown a bit darker. "I better reach everyone." He placed on hand on the egg and the other on his forehead. "There!"

He disappeared with the egg and reappeared inside the palace of the Royal City, in front of the steps leading up to the queen's throne. Naruto wrapped another bandage around a large gash in Hinata's leg. "Keep your leg elevated on this stool." Naruto said, propping her leg upon it. "Sakura said that it helps to stop the bleeding." He raised his head as he felt Goku's chi signature enter the room. "Hey, Goku!" Naruto said, walking up to greet him. "What's in the egg?"

Luffy's stomach growled. "Can we eat it?"

Natsu's stomach growled as well. "Yeah. I'm getting hungry."

"You can't eat him!" Goku said, stepping in front of the egg as Natsu and Luffy stared hungrily at it. "I promised to take care of it."

"That's a big egg for any species I've heard of being domesticated," Sepharia said, "stay still now, Gohan, you were impaled by a large piece of shrapnel through your stomach. It's a miracle you're still alive."

Inala, who was busy tending to the large scorches all over Hiei's right arm, looked up at the egg. "Laas Yah Nir!" she whispered, causing a red outline to appear around every life force in the room. She looked back at the egg and gasped, seeing a red silhouette. _I can't even tell what it is..._ "What's in the egg, Son Goku?"

Goku chuckled. "I'm going to keep it a secret until it hatches."

"Come on," Naruto whined, "please?"

"No." Goku smiled. "It won't be fun if it's spoiled." His smile faded. "Everyone listen up!" he said, silencing the whole room. "As most of you probably already know, we are not the only one's looking for the Dragonball. They're not particularly friendly either."

Vegeta smirked. "Your point, Kakarot?"

"If one of the more powerful ones come here, we may need someone to stay here and make sure they don't hurt anyone else." Goku heard murmuring among his friends. "Who will stay here?"

Hiei laughed. "I'll be healed by the time one of them manages to track my power level here."

"What if you're not?" Piccolo snarled, "We've battled people like them before."

"If you could destroy them, why can't I?" Hiei said.

"That's not the point!" Vegeta folded his arms. "These people are murderers and have played major roles in the genocide of hundreds of planets. If they can kill off half of our team just sitting here like ducks, they will."

"I'll stay," Tien said, "but Hiei does have a point. It was very hard to track you guys here, so I doubt a scouter will be able to find us easily."

"Chad and I will stand guard too," Uryu said, "space soldiers are not the only threat to us here."

"Then anyone else able-bodied will help in the search." Goku's stomach rumbled. "Hey, can we get something to eat? We haven't had time to eat all day!"

"Before that, we need to decide how many units we'll have searching for the Dragonball," Zuko said, "I propose nine teams of two-"

"That's spreading it out a bit much, Zuko," Edward cut in.

"It depends on who we decide to team up with." Zuko glared at Edward. "The fire nation has been leading a world conquest and none of the world's governments have raised a finger to stop us. Maybe there is a reason."

"What do you mean, 'us'?" Edward said, "You're part of the Fire Nation?"

"Not anymore." Zuko looked away from the short alchemist. "Who will join me?"

Natsu smirked. "I will. I've been waiting to compare myself to a similar fire-user like myself."

"I can already guess you're gonna be his punching bag, then?" Gray said, "Then again, if you were an ice-user, then maybe you would stand a chance."

"Was that an insult to firebending?" Zuko's fists roared to life with flames.

"I dunno," Gray grinned as the temperature of the room dropped. "Was it?"

Zuko and Gray fell into stance and approached each other. Aang stepped in between them. "Guys, we can settle this in an easy way. Whichever team beats the most bad guys wins. Gray with water and me with air, versus Zuko with fire and Natsu with earth."

"But I use fire! Why am I earth?"

Aang smirked. "Because you eat a lot of it."

"You know what?!" Natsu angrily yelled, "Deal! Finding the Dragonball counts as twenty five bad guys!"

"How will I know you'll tell the truth?" Zoro asked.

"We bring back their scouters." Aang extended his hand with a confident grin. "Deal?"

"Finding treasure an' beatin' up people is a pirate's game!" Luffy said, "Zoro an' I are gonna mop the floor with you! Right, Zoro?"

Zoro nodded.

"You pirates are all talk," Erza said, "Once the action starts, the pirates are usually the first ones running!"

Zoro's fist clenched and his eyebrow twitched. "Excuse me?!" he barked.

"You heard me right, and Yusuke's gonna help me prove it!" Erza grabbed Yusuke's arm and wouldn't let go. "Let's go, Yusuke!"

"Guys, guys, please," Edward said, "Brains and strategy will be what really wins a battle. Brute doesn't play into the outcome of the fight by much. Come on, Trunks, let's show them!"

"Great..." Trunks muttered, reluctantly accepting the fact that there was no getting out of it.

"Brains and brute mean nothing if you don't have tricks up your sleeve! Kakashi-sensei and I will prove that ninjutsu is the best!" Naruto grinned and gave them a thumb up. "Prepare to lose! Believe it!"

"Ninjutsu? The best?" Lee laughed, "I'm afraid you're mistaken! It's a bit ironic too; you're studying turtle-style martial arts! I'm sure Son Goku would not let that stand without an argument! Goku and I will show you what's the best!"

Ichigo and Piccolo looked at each other. Piccolo whispered in Ichigo's ear, "It's either one of us with Vegeta, or Inuyasha-"

"Nope," Ichigo said, "nope nope nope nope nope nope nope, and nope."

"I guess it's just you and I," Vegeta said to Inuyasha, folding his arms. "Try and keep up."

"That's what I should be telling you," Inuyasha retorted.

"Then it's settled," Sepharia said. "Once you return with the Dragonball and drive out our invaders, we shall have a feast!"

The nine teams raced out of the palace and into the snow. Inala turned to Iilduun. "Did you count nine?"

"Yes. Goku, Inuyasha, Ichigo, Naruto, Yusuke, Aang, Natsu, Edward, and Luffy have all encountered a dragon and absorbed its soul." Iildun looked at his hand. His pinky on his right hand was missing. "I have just enough to teach them one."

"When will you teach them?" Sepharia asked.

"They'll be here before all is said and done," Iilduun said. "They will all be pushed to their limits, and it will only be up to them to defeat Acnologia and the invaders of this world."

"Then what are the rest of us here for?" Usopp said, "I couldn't help my captain! I don't deserve to be here!"

"If it was fate's will for you to be here, then you will be here," Inala said, silencing Usopp.

"I'm afraid of only one thing," Sepharia said, "Defeating Acnologia would not kill him. It would stun him, maybe even wound him, but he and his forces would wreak havoc on another planet."

"The heroes that defeated Acnologia on Earth were not of Dovahkiin blood, Sepharia," Iilduun started, "Acnologia was once a man, once the Dragonborn of the fifth era of earthly rule. His heart became corrupt, ruthlessly killing all fellow dovah and all that opposed him. He confronted a group of several Dovah led by five powerful Dovah, Igneel, Metalicana, Grandeeney, Porunga, and Shenron, who used their power to change the Dragonborn into the creatures he sought to destroy-"

"I know the story Iilduun, but will the heroes of the sixth age be able to defeat Acnologia?"

"They must be born under the nine signs."

"What if they aren't?"

"Then may the divines themselves have mercy on our souls."

* * *

"Report, Sasuke." Kuuzer sat in his hovering chair above the snow, watching with an evil smirk as Dodoria and Zarbon ravaged an entire village by themselves. Team Hebi approached him, breathing hard and torn up from the fight with Goku. "Did you get rid of the power source?"

"Yes," Sasuke said bluntly.

Zarbon, the tall, muscular henchmen appeared to the right of Kuuzer. "My, what happened? Those wounds don't look like any ordinary dragon attack."

Kuuzer looked Sasuke up and down. "You look like you got the living shit beaten out of you. Did you kill what attacked you?"

Team Hebi did not answer. Zarbon grabbed Sasuke by the back of his head and slammed it into his knee. "Answer the Mighty lord Kuuzer!"

Sasuke grit his teeth. "We... were..."

"jumped by a group of skilled villagers," Suigetsu cut in.

"Lies." Kuuzer pointed to Sasuke. "Kill him in ten seconds."

"We were beaten by a powerful man!" Karin interjected, not wanting Sasuke to die.

A small beam of chi grew on Zarbon's finger. "Five,"

A tuft of green hair sprouted from the ground and started to grow, revealing himself to be the Akatsuki's spy. "She speaks the truth."

"Zetsu?" Kuuzer smiled. "You've been scarce since I sent you to negotiate deals with Sepharia for Arulok and her men for the Dragonball."

"On the way there, I ran across that man," Zetsu said, "I think you know him very well."

"Who was it?!" Kuuzer barked. "Don't toy with me!"

Zetsu smirked. "Does the name, Son Goku-"

Kuuzer impaled Zetsu's stomach with the beam. "I've heard enough! How dare you mention that name to my face!"

Zetsu shifted his feet uncomfortably. "I managed to grasp Goku's foot while he used a teleportation technique to the Royal City. I sunk into the ground before anyone could see me-"

Kuuzer growled. "Get to the point!"

"Not only is _he_ here, but he brought his friends along with him."

"How!?" Zarbon exclaimed, "We destroyed all of their ships!"

"How many are a threat to us at this stage?" Dodoria said, appearing to the left of Kuuzer. "I took out most of 'em already, but-"

"Quiet. If you can't report properly, you do not get to speak." Kuuzer's eyes narrowed. "How many?"

"Eighteen of them," Zetsu said.

"And you knew about this, Dodoria?" Zarbon smirked. "Did it slip your mind not to tell us or are you that base?"

"You take that back!" Dodoria barked. "Or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Zarbon fell into a mocking stance, leaving his entire body open to an attack.

Dodoria spiked his aura. "Why you little-"

Zarbon fazed out and threw a punch, sparking a fight between the two of them. "Did you get a chance to speak with the queen?"

"No," Zetsu said, "I liked the idea of escaping with my life."

"Tch." Kuuzer held both hands out and closed his hands like he was grasping something. Dodoria and Zarbon froze in place. "I want you two and Guldo's elites to test out the severity of this situation. I need you two to find them once they begin their search for the Dragonball and use your scouters to set trackers on them-"

"No need. I hung around during their conversations and latched the trackers on the eighteen." Zetsu said.

Kuuzer turned away from Zetsu. "Make it quick too; kill as many as you can."

"What happens if we get all of them?" Zarbon said, "We'd have trained those recruits for nothing."

"Recruits?" Dodoria laughed. "You forget, the Ginyu force handpicked those teams. Might as well call the little maggots members."

"Compared to the elites and with your loss to not even one of our own, you don't deserve to call anyone a _maggot._" Kuuzer's voice was unusually cold, a tone he usually didn't have unless he was really serious.

"We need to discuss the plan. There are nine groups of two to deal with." The Band of Seven appeared from a cloud of purple smoke.

"No need to show off, Bankotsu," Zarbon said, "just prove your team is worth something."

Bankotsu stepped from the smoke. Bankotsu was a lean-muscled young man with a tattoo of a four-pointed star on his forehead. His eyes were a dark shade of cobalt, and even in this freezing climate, he managed to retain his tan. He wore a white pair of hakamas with a white haori that only has a blue patch on his shoulder. He also wore a type of iron armor decorated with a purple fern like pattern on it over these clothes along with a shoulder guard attached by a strip of red cloth. He did not wear shoes; like his partners he wore the traditional ninja footwear. "I'm the leader of the Band of Seven! I've never lost a battle to anyone!" Bankotsu's fists clenched as he recalled a certain dog-demon. He cursed under his breath. "And I aim to restore that balance... one day..."

"Yes, yes," Zetsu cleared his throat and pulled out nine cards. Each card had a picture of one out of the nine teams from Earth searching for the Dragonball. "Pick one."

Dodoria looked at each team, purposely avoiding Vegeta's card, and drew the card showing part of Rock Lee's face. He smirked. "I take bushy-brows." His smirk faded as he looked at the face of Lee's teammate. "Wait... I've seen this face before..."

"You have your card," Zarbon said, "now go destroy them."

"Cui! Appule! Xiri! Garbash! Follow me!"

Four other aliens as distorted and abstract in appearance as Dodoria followed him."I guess I'm next." Zarbon also avoided Vegeta's card. "Which one... which-" He gasped as he drew Yusuke and Erza's card. "Such serene beauty!" he exclaimed, using his thumb to caress her hair, even though it was just a photo. "Finally! Someone whose elegance matches- no, surpasses, even mine!" He growled at the card, seeing Yusuke's face. "And fate has paired her with that brutish pig? I say not!" He burst off as fast as he could, soon disappearing into the sky.

"Well, that was-" Bankotsu coughed. "Not creepy in any way. Suikotsu, take your pick."

Suikotsu was tall and muscular, with hair and facial features similar to that of Wolverine. Six green claw-like marks were his face paint, probably to match the long, steel blades that shot out of four knuckles on both hands. "I don't care as long as I get to kill something." He snatched the card with Aang and Gray's picture on it. His hard, slit shaped eyes became softer as he looked at his hands. "So... so much blood..." His voice wasn't as brash, but kinder and more reserved. "Bankotsu, these are such young men with their whole life-" He laughed maniacally as the brash voice returned. "Which I'll rip from their throats!" He pressed a blue button on his scouter, indicating the location of Aang and Gray. He let out a chuckle before dashing off.

A large, human-like half wooden half iron cyborg maneuvering on two giant wheels with a sword sheathed and strapped to his side rolled toward Zetsu. "I will choose next." He randomly drew a card and looked at the picture. Edward Elric bluffed to his friends while Trunks was behind him, rolling his eyes. He crushed the card in his hand and zoomed past, not needing his scouter to find his targets.

"I guess it's only fair that I go next." A tall, thin, bald man with purple tattoos streaking down his face with a dragon's head shaped tattoo on his forehead stepped forward. He wore a bandana and armor, which was comprised of a light blue undershirt with reddish-orange gauntlets, greaves, and chest and back plates. A small jet pack was on his back like a backpack. Two lines ran into his sleeves, leading to two horizontal rods barely hanging out of his sleeves.

Bankotsu grinned. "Very well then, Renkotsu."

Renkotsu took a card. "Piccolo Daimao... that's a face I haven't seen in a long time..." He gripped the two rods and squeezed, causing a large propulsion from fire and rocket fuel to launch him into the air. He let go of one of the rods and held the picture in front of his face. "Scouter: track visual matches." His scouter emitted a beeping noise. Renkotsu squeezed on both rods again, quickly flying away.

"Mukotsu," Bankotsu said, gesturing to a short, portly, old man wearing white robes.

"Hm." He took a random card and looked at the two Shinobi on it. "I'll make it quick." He threw down a purple smoke bomb and vanished.

"He's not very personable, is he?" Zetsu asked.

"He's just trying to act mysterious." Bankotsu turned to the other two in the Band of Seven. "I'm picking last, so you need to decide who is choosing next."

"Please hurry," Zetsu said. "Master Kuuzer is growing very, very impatient."

"I guess it's my turn." Stepping from the remains of the smoke was a giant, yellowish skinned humanoid with spiky, green hair and bloodshot eyes.

"Go ahead, Kyokotsu." Bankotsu pointed to Zetsu for him.

Zetsu marveled at the amazing size of Kyokotsu. _Damn! And I thought summons were big!_

Kyokotsu walked toward him in the standard Saiyan elite blue and white shaking the ground with every colossal step. He bent down and held out his hand. Zetsu placed a card in his hand. Kyokotsu looked at the card and laughed. "I expected a challenge! Not a joke!"

"Once you prove it's just a joke, then feel free to take me on," Kuuzer said. "In the meantime, squash those pests."

Kyokotsu took a large bound and a leap. Zetsu staggered as Kyokotsu's footsteps shook the ground again. "Jakotsu, if you don't mind, I'll pick." Bankotsu drew a card and looked at his targets. He emitted a battle cry and his aura spiked. He punched the air, imagining the tall demon with the long white hair and dog ears feeling the pain of every blow. "Prepare for vengeance, Inuyasha!" He shouted, running so fast that he was just a blur.

Jakotsu, a moderate height, black haired man wearing a purplish-pink hakama and scarf walked up to Zetsu and took the last card. "Ooh, who do _I_ get to massacre?" He looked at the card. Natsu was yelling, probably at Aang or Luffy. Zuko stood next to him with his arms folded. "Ugh! Ew! I'll enjoy destroying those little tacky twits! Armor with those boots? Who even does that? I mean, like, my gosh-"

"Get out there and get it done!" Kuuzer barked.

"My pleasure!" Jakotsu unsheathed a huge, scimitar-like sword and fazed out, running just as fast as Bankotsu.

Zetsu turned to Kuuzer. "What do you want me to do now, Lord Kuuzer?"

"Leave me alone."

Zetsu nodded and slowly started to sink into the ground.

**Will our heroes be able to find the Dragonball before Kuuzer and his forces can? Will they be able to take out Guldo's handpicked elite, the Band of Seven? What does Dodoria know about Goku? What's the past between Inuyasha and Bankotsu? Find out next time!**


	7. Search

**I own nothing! **

Each of the nine teams agreed to search for the Dragonball in one of the nine cold regions of Arulok and quickly set out on their own journeys. Goku and Lee sprinted through the snow which had started to fall again. Goku closed his eyes to sense any chi signatures, more importantly, the one coming from the Dragonball. Rock Lee, still in his trademark green jumpsuit pumped his fist into the air. "The cold is so bracing! Don't you think?"

Goku nodded. "Yeah! It's great!" He shivered a little bit. "I wish I would have worn some warmer clothes."

They approached a large cliff overlooking a big town, for one out this far from the Royal City, with a couple small houses, a few merchant stands, and two larger structures near the opposite end of the town. The snow had been thinning the closer they reached the town, but now the snow was completely gone. One of the large structures was a wooden dome like-building with hay and straw over wooden framing for a roof. Several shields and swords decorated each of the four doors of the building, making it obvious this was the hotspot for the warriors of Arulok. The large building next to it was a mansion compared to the other houses and sat on a small hill with marble-like steps leading up to it. It was a pretty town; a large, white tree with bright pink leaves grew in the center of the merchant stands positioned in a circle around it. The biggest spectacle about this town was that a gigantic mountain, taller than any other mountain they had seen on Earth, was about two miles away from the town with a dirt trail leading to the base of mountain. The town was surrounded by tall, black stone walls, with barred gates at the entrance of the town. They had been torn apart however, like someone was denied access into the town and they didn't take no for an answer. Etched in the stone above the gate was the name of the town in the Arulokian tongue. It Latin letters, it looked somewhat like "Pytfrgaek". The normal murmur they'd hear in an Earth town was gone. Lee could hear the light buzzing in his ears, the buzzing one would hear if a room was completely silent. "We should check it out."

Goku nodded. "I sense some decent power levels here. Maybe we can find the Dragonball."

"Right."

Goku and Lee hopped off the cliff and landed in front of the gates. "Look at that," Goku said, pointing near the large tree.

Dodoria with his four henchmen stood around the tree, laughing as they heard a groan of pain. Goku and Lee ran into the city, watching as three warriors in gray, matching armor laid on the ground in pain. Scorch marks dotted their skin and armor. One of the henchmen started to stomp on the female warrior, smirking as a light thud could be heard every time he hit her head. Lee gasped in outrage. "I cannot let them get away with this! The Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village shall not allow it!"

Goku was already ten feet ahead of him. "Are you coming?"

Dodoria's scouter began to beep, indicating a nearby power level. He turned toward Goku and Lee. He looked at the card with their pictures on it. "My boys, I guess we found our targets."

Goku and Lee walked up to Dodoria. One of the henchmen cowered as he saw Goku's serious face. "D-Dodoria, didn't Frieza kill him a long time ago?"

"Obviously not entirely!" One of the henchmen jeered. "He looks like he's gonna want to fight us! He really wants to get beaten again!"

"I have no idea what you guys are talking about," Goku said, "but I guess you wanna fight us, right?" Goku and Lee had come prepared for a fight. Goku pulled out the Power Pole that was on his back. Lee reached to his sides, whipping out dual nunchaku.

The female archer in the lightweight armor stood up. "Vilkas! Farkas! If the Earthlings can fight, so can we!"

The swordsman and axeman climbed to their feet. "Right, Aela!"

"You guys have done enough," Goku said, "we'll handle this."

"Are you that cocky?!" either Vilkas or Farkas said; they were identical twins, so Goku couldn't tell.

Dodoria growled in anger. "Get them!"

The henchmen charged. Goku spun around and leaped into the air, smacking Dodoria's face with the staff. He fazed out, sending a kick into one of the henchman's spine, hearing the breaking of his target's back as he followed through. Lee hit another henchman in the head with a nunchaku. Lee rolled back, dodging a counter attack by the third henchman and leaped into the air, nailing him in the face with a flying kick. "Dynamic Entry!" Lee exclaimed, sending the henchman slamming into the tree.

Dodoria charged. "Why you little-" He gasped, suddenly arching over Goku's fist. Goku looked over Dodoria's shoulder, glaring at the last of the henchmen who peed his pants. The henchman ran away and Goku let Dodoria collapse to the ground, holding his stomach in pain. Aela shot an arrow into Dodoria's head, ending the miserable bastard's life.

"Such speed!" Aela, a average height, brown haired eighteen year old with yellow eyes and three green warpaint lines said, "Such power!"

"Who are you?" Farkas asked.

Goku smiled. "I'm Son Goku."

"And I am the Handsome Devil of the Hidden Leaf village!" Rock Lee passionately exclaimed.

"We are the Companions," Aela said, "Welcome to Whiterun. The world has been waiting for you."

* * *

"Finally." Vegeta and Inuyasha dropped to their feet on a cobblestone road. "People." Ahead of them on this cobblestone road was a caravan walking across a long, white bridge overlooking a wide river. They were headed toward the entrance to the town surrounded by large, ice-covered walls. The entire town sat on a giant chunk of rock that had broke off from the rest of the landmass opposite of it connected by the bridge. The top of a castle could be seen over the walls; somebody here was very important to deserve a castle which dwarfed the likes of Leed's and Windsor Castle. The caravan stopped as two guards wearing lightweight, dark blue armor inspected the caravan.

"They're good," One of the guards smiled through his helmet. "Better a Nord than anything else, right?"

The leader of the caravan laughed. "True, true; I have to hurry. I have a major shipment for Ulfric Stormcloak right away."

"Oh, I apologize." The guard gave a thumb up to his partner. "Go on in."

Vegeta and Inuyasha walked toward the entrance of the town. One of the guards noticed them, more particularly Vegeta in his Saiyan elite armor. "Are you of Kuuzer?"

"Who the hell is Kuuzer?" Vegeta said, noticing the guards' hands move to their sword handles_. _"Step aside. We're here to search for a glowing orange ball with three stars on it."

The guards looked at each other. "You're with that damned Altmer Sepharia's scum from Earth, aren't you?"

"What if we were?" Vegeta smirked.

"We were warned about you by one of Kuuzer's own elite," the guard said, drawing his sword. "This is as far as you go."

Vegeta laughed. "You think you can stop me?"

The guard swung his sword but was blocked by another. Inuyasha parried the strike and stepped in closer, beaming the guard's face with the end of his sword handle. The guard fell to the ground.

The second guard hesitated while drawing his sword. He gritted his teeth and drew it anyway. "I will not be defeated by you Imperial scum!" He thrust at Vegeta.

Vegeta kicked upward, hitting the sword and sending it spiraling out of the guard's hand. Vegeta clutched the guard by the throat and lifted him into the air. "Tch." Vegeta whipped him into the stone wall. "Let's find this Dragonball."

A little black-haired elven girl in ragged clothing with dark gray skin and red eyes peaked out from the inside of the stone walls. "Are they gone?"

"Yes." Inuyasha smiled and crouched, shaking the girl's hand. "What's your name?"

"I'm Asuras."

"I'm Inuyasha. Hey, do you know where we could find a bright, orange ball with stars on it?"

"No, but my papa, Valeris, might. Everyone in the Gray Quarter has been talking about these Imperial scouts from Ee-arth looking for one to save Earth." She grabbed his hand. "If you're here, did you come to save our world too?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, thinking about what to say. "Yes we are, but only if we can find the orange ball."

Asuras smiled and started to drag him into the city. "Follow me!"

Inuyasha stood up, still bending over while Asuras held his hand. "Lead the way."

* * *

Ichigo's sneakers, which he had changed into since he and Piccolo entered the marsh, had wet mud slowly seeping inside them. There was no snow here, but strands of soggy grass which was light blue like the trees in the area around them surrounded by oceans of wet land. They slowly approached a thick fog that blocked all of their vision. "It should be just up there!" Ichigo said, closing his eyes to verify that there were chi signatures that might be the Dragonball. "Yeah! We just need to get through this fog!"

Ichigo and Piccolo started to trudge through the fog. Their eyes started to tear up and burn; this wasn't an ordinary fog. Piccolo rubbed his eyes. "What the hell is up with this fog?!"

"It's probably the different form of water vapor here than what we're used to," Ichigo said, not being able to open his eyes due to the constant burning. "We're almost-"

"Whoa!" Piccolo leaped in the air, avoiding what would have formed a nasty cut. Ichigo stumbled out of the fog and opened his eyes. They had stumbled upon a small town with nearly nothing in it besides for a few small houses. Ironically, up the road sat a humongous, white, Victorian style castle surrounded by a moat with a wooden bridge leading to large double-doors. The only source of plant life was a type of shrubbery with spiky, light-green leaves.

"Oh, sorry," the owner of the blade, a man with blonde hair in dull gray armor said; he was different to most of the elves that Piccolo and Ichigo encountered, but had small, rounded ears and oval shaped eyes. He was taller than the elven males as well, by at least six inches; he was around six and a half feet tall. "You startled me."

Piccolo opened his eyes as well. The whites of his eyes had turned gold while the pupil and color around it was blood red. It was the same with Ichigo. "So you start swinging at people?" Ichigo said.

"I'm sorry," The man turned to face him. "It was my mistake- wait..." He stepped closer to Ichigo. "Blood red eyes? Human ears?" He readied his sword again. "I wish I didn't miss!"

"Do you have something against irritated eyes?" Ichigo said, "We're not from here, the fog just-"

"You're right! You're not from here, Earthen vampire scum, may the Dawnguard and Stormcloaks take you and the Imperials!" he shouted, catching the attention of several other townsfolk who also readied their weapons. "The Nordic people of Arulok shall not stand for this!

"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about." Ichigo and Piccolo were now back to back, surrounded by townspeople with swords, bows, pitchforks, and daggers.

"The fog made our eyes like this!" Ichigo insisted, "We're not vampires!"

"Lies!" a townsfolk shouted.

"They are telling the truth."

The mob went silent and parted a small pathway, allowing a tall, muscular, armored man with brown hair and glowing, blood red eyes to walk into the middle of the mob. "L-lord Harkon!" another townsfolk stuttered.

Lord Harkon grinned, allowing Ichigo to just barely see two fangs poking out over his bottom lip. "They are my guests. Leave them be." He turned around. "Come, we have pressing matters to discuss."

* * *

"Where did you say this chi signature was?" Erza said, "are you sure you weren't sensing one of us approaching the Royal City?"

"I'm sure of it!" Yusuke said, reaching the top of the paved slope that led from the Royal City to here.

A large drawbridge led to a small, gray, fortress like city that was in a state of sheer panic. A fire roared through the city while the smell of blood hazily settled around the walls. Soldiers, like the ones encountered in the Royal City, frantically ran around with their weapons drawn. Many of the higher ranking soldiers wore red and gold armor much in the style of the Spartans. "There he is!" One soldier shot several arrows into the air before being struck down by a bolt of energy.

Yusuke and Erza looked toward the dead soldier's target. He was tall and muscular, wearing Saiyan armor. The jumpsuit was cut off at his upper thighs and continued past his knees, like he was wearing spandex booty shorts and knee-high socks. He had pale, green skin and long green hair in a braid reaching his lower back. He noticed Yusuke and Erza on the ground and gasped. "Has my red-haired goddess arrived?" He dropped to his feet in front of Erza and reached for her hand. "Such grace and elegance, even in a suit of armor you manage to match the beauty of a bride in her gown!"

"Why did you kill all of those people?" Erza shouted, unsheathing her sword.

"Why has fate placed us at opposite ends of this war?" he answered, "The fates put I, Zarbon, here to become your champion! Please, my scarlet divine, let us forget this petty war, the Dragonball, our pasts, and escape this soon dead world; we could travel the universe hand-in-hand!"

Erza's eyebrow twitched. Yusuke stepped in between them, equally annoyed as Erza. "I don't know what your deal is, but there is no way we're leaving this planet without that Dragonball!"

Zarbon growled in anger. "Are you her knight? Are you the bane to which plagues my very existence?! I will not let you have her any longer! She is mine!"

"I'm not her boyfriend!" Yusuke barked.

"See, my darling, he denies the bonds you two have made!" Zarbon spun out, lying on the floor with his eyes closed; his face had a pained expression. "Oh the stories you could tell! In an ironic twist, the very being that keeps you from me cannot recognize the ruby in his hand!" Zarbon hopped to his feet. "This cannot pass! I will deny the gods cruel tricks and make my own legend! It will be retold throughout the ages!"

Yusuke spiked his aura. "How about I write your first chapter?" He charged toward Zarbon. "I'm thinking of calling it, 'shut the fuck up'!"

* * *

Naruto slipped again on the ice, leaving another Naruto shaped hole in the snow. They had traveled to the northern-most part of Arulok. The sun of this planet, now resembling a large, whitish star, shone brightly on the shallow water in the port town they had arrived to, causing it to shimmer. The streets and houses were covered in snow, and the plant life was glazed over and preserved by ice. Naruto got to his feet and wiped the snow off of his clothes. Kakashi looked up from his book. "Naruto, are you okay?"

"Yeah; the ice made me slip again."

"How far is this chi signature?" Kakashi asked.

"It's up the road there." Naruto grinned. "It feels exactly like the Six Star Dragonball's energy!"

"Let's go get it." Naruto and Kakashi headed into the town, passing by banners with a black hand on it. A familiar symbol was around the hand.

Naruto looked at one of the banners. _Where have I seen that before?_

They noticed something very strange about this town. "It's quiet, Naruto." Kakashi placed his bookmark and closed the book. "Be careful." Kakashi pulled his mask down from over his Sharingan eye, letting it enhance his abilities with a red glow.

They went all the way into the center of town. A dockworker walked past them, heading into one of the few houses. In the center of the town sat a large rock with the same symbol around a black hand. A short, portly man wearing a white mask with holes for the eyes noticed them and gestured them to come over. "The Dragonball's in that rock over there! I'm sure of it!" Naruto whispered, walking toward the masked man.

"Hello, young man," the old man said, "this rock is hollow you see, and I usually have a key to open it up and get my valuables to sell at the market."

"But there is no market," Kakashi said.

"The market in another town," the old man snapped, "let me finish my sentences, will you? It's very weak rock. One punch should be able to break it."

"Right." Naruto threw a punch and hit the rock. "Ouch!" he recoiled his hand as it did nothing to the rock.

The old man touched the rock. "Silence," he whispered, making the rock crumble. A dark stairway greeted them, leading underground with a red glow emanating from the bottom of the stairs. "You did it!" He ran down the stairs with surprising agility and speed.

"Watch him," Kakashi warned Naruto, following him down the stairs. Inside was a large, hot, damp room with stone walls with a few tables in the middle. Doors along the walls led deeper into whatever sanctuary this was and the bedrooms of the denizens in it. The old man stopped at one of the tables and turned to face him. Several men and women wearing black and red robes with beaked hoods and face wrap covering their mouths and noses stepped from the back rooms carrying a variety of weapons. "Do these guys have the Dragonball?"

Naruto shook his head, feeling ashamed of himself. "No, I was sensing these guys."

"Mukotsu, are these the ones?" one of the robed men asked the old man, jutting out a small blade from the inside of his sleeve.

The old man, Mukotsu, pulled out a handful of multicolored smoke bombs. "Yes! Kill them! Kill them both!"

* * *

"There is something strange about this place," Edward said, running toward a set of large, bronze colored, metallic doors in the side of a mountain. The snow was nearly gone now, turning to a light mist on greenish grass. "Besides for the fact that someone would hide a Dragonball in a mountain."

"Why would one even live in a mountain?" Trunks felt a slight chill run up his spine. "Not anything I know of would want to live there."

They came closer to the doors. A bedroll was laid out on the grass and a campfire was lit; someone was here before they were. An elderly man carrying a large, strange-looking sword and wearing brown pants and a ragged white shirt headed outside the tent to greet them. "Kuru'uu daas tomaak Iloun!" he said, hobbling over to greet Trunks and Edward. "Quaru'ut fatas?" He looked at the blank expressions on Trunks and Edward's faces. Realizing they were the team from Earth, he translated. "Excuse me young men, but I've come to need your assistance."

"Sure," Edward said, "what's wrong?"

"My granddaughter ran into the cave there and hasn't come out in six hours," he said, "and I'd feel terrible if someone didn't go find her. I was going in myself, but an old man like me may get lost in those ruins."

Edward touched his hand to the door and closed his eyes. "It's in here."

"Then you can count on us." Trunks opened the doors, letting a gust of warm wind clash with the cold air outside. Inside was a bloodied stairwell, lit by bright white torches. The remains of an elf was slumped into one corner, meaning that he wasn't just killed, he was murdered.

"Let me follow, earthlings!" The elderly man said, unsheathing his sword. "You've no idea what's there!"

"It's safer if you stay out here." Edward and Trunks closed the door behind them.

The sound of a key locking startled them. Trunks jiggled the door handle. "I'm beginning to sense that we were fooled."

"Not yet!" Edward whipped around and hit the bronze door with his fist. He gasped in pain and recoiled it, grasping it in pain. "What the hell is that made of?"

"We can't worry about that right now," Trunks said. "We need to go deeper and find the Dragonball. There has to be a exit somewhere. Keep your guard up."

Reluctantly, Edward followed Trunks deeper into the Dwemer cave, morphing his auto-mail arm into a sword.

* * *

Natsu and Zuko covered their eyes from another blast of snow. Natsu's ears had turned completely red from the cold. "I've been to cold places, but damn it is this _cold!_"

"Why couldn't we check more of the southern regions?" Zuko asked, nearly being blown off his feet by a strong gust of wind.

"Five groups were headed down there already!" Natsu shouted over the snowstorm. "If the Dragonball's up here then we have little to no competition! Plus, I sense a bunch of chi signatures up ahead! We can ask if there is anyone that has seen the Dragonball or if there's someone who knows how to get around here easier! I'm pretty sure we did not have to go through the mountains!"

Zuko gritted his teeth. "You were the one who suggested it!"

"I did not, mister 'oh look at me I'm part of the Fire Nation and I know everything about war and walking to places on a frozen planet'!" Natsu shot back.

"Yes you did!"

"You could have said no at any time, Zuko!"

"Then how is it my fault?"

"We've made it!" Standing before them was a long, thin, stone stairwell leading up into a large, three building school campus with banners in blue and white; its name was written on the banner in Arulokian language and a group of Earthen languages reading "UofW". It sat near the edge of a very high cliff at least twenty thousand feet above ground.

"Come on." Zuko formed two balls of fire on his hand to keep himself warm. Natsu did the same. They quickly ran up the steep stairwell. They approached a bridge leading right into the university. An average height elf with bright orange hair and olive skin wearing robes with a red aura glowing around them stepped in front of Natsu and Zuko, not letting them pass.

"Ko'oro ne a qiiluk?" she asked.

"Sorry," Zuko said, "we're from Earth."

Natsu reenacted the rocket launch and the crash landing with his fire magic. "ftftftftftftftftftftftft- liftoff- oh no- BOOM! Pew pew pew- BOOM! Aaaagggghhh KABOOM ppppppppppssssssssssstttttttt-"

"Members of Sepharia's Dragonball search squad, I suppose?" she said, "what business do you have here?"

"We were hoping that someone that was more familiar with this region would help us search for the Dragonball," Zuko said. "We were directed by a farmer to see you guys up here. We got here by traveling through the _mountains._" He shot a glare at Natsu.

"Shut up!" Natsu exclaimed.

"The only way you can ask our faculty and students if they can accompany you on any journey is if you're a part of us." A ball of fire formed on the elf's hand and a ball of ice formed on the other.

"And who is us?" Natsu asked.

"The University of Winterhold," she said. "_The_ school for wizards all over Arulok."

"A school for wizards?" Natsu grinned. "I think we've definitely come to the right place."

She started to walk across the bridge and toward the campus. "Come this way, and we can see if you qualify."

* * *

"It's about time we got outta that damned snow," Zoro said. "And you're sure that the guy told us to go here to ask for help from this guild? We can find it ourselves."

"We don't have Nami with us anymore, and any pirate would know that we need a navigator that knows their way around here." Luffy's stomach started to growl. "And we can get food."

The town was located in a beautiful Autumnal Forest region of Arulok, and that beauty encroached the town in the form of wondrous foliage and cold, dry weather like the other regions of Arulok. Most of it's structures are wooden, and the town gave off an old and run-down feeling, which took Luffy and Zoro by surprise. Not that this bothered them, but being pirates, they could see the town for what it truly was - a bustling, energetic town with an economy fueled by the hard-working fishermen working the docks west of the gates. Two guards in green face-wrap armor standing outside the wooden gates halted the pirates. "Stop! You must pay a visitor's tax!"

"A visitor's tax?" Zoro smirked. "Isn't that just a fancy way of saying shakedown?"

The guards looked at each other. "Shit," one of them whispered, "don't mention this to anyone, alright?"

Zoro nodded. "I wouldn't want anyone ratting out on us either."

The guards unlocked the gate. "Go on in. Welcome to Riften, earthling."

"By the way," Luffy grinned and stuffed a pouch of gold into his pocket. "Thanks for the money."

"I assume your pickpocket lessons from Nami are paying off?" Zoro followed Luffy through the gate.

They headed into Riften which was bisected by a large canal leading to an ocean. The two sides were connected by bridges and planks. Below the main market in the center of the town where the houses of the citizens were slowly pushed inward to keep them from being splashed on by the canal. Luffy and Zoro looked at a small sheet of paper that the guy which directed them here gave them. "Down there." They hopped off a bridge and down into the lower section near the canal. They walked along it until they reached a stone trap door. Zoro pressed a small depression in the stone and pulled upward, opening a small hatch into the dark underground. The smell of rot and sewage slowly rose from the hatch, making Zoro gasped for air.

"Are the guild's in here?" Zoro said.

Luffy hopped into the hatch, hearing a thud as he landed on his feet. "We're about to find out! Let's go!"

* * *

"Wow..." Gray looked at the dying trees, wilting flowers, brownish grass overrun with weeds, gray buildings and a gray longhouse with a large graveyard behind it. The dull, gray sky didn't help either. "Let's go, Aang, this place is already depressing."

The door to the longhouse flung open. "Saak tul'og gorbash maa!" A Nordic man in white and brown armor with a red dragon scale on the chest plate carrying a longsword in a sheath across his back stomped out and walked down the wooden steps. He sat down and placed his head in his hands, seemingly angry at whatever happened in the longhouse.

Gray and Aang approached the armored Nord. "What's wrong?"

He looked up at them through a brown, leather helmet. "You choose an Earthen language over Arulokian," he said. "Where are you from?"

"Earth," Aang said.

He grinned and stood up. "You are part of Sepharia's special force?"

Gray nodded. "So what happened in there?"

"It's the Ruler of Falkreath being persuaded by an ambassador of Kuuzer's." He looked at them fearfully. "Kuuzer, Ulfric Stormcloak, and their men are plotting to sell Arulok and her people to Kuuzer's trade organization while they look for the Dragonball in exchange for Imperial overthrow and Ulfric becoming the king of Arulok. Ulfric is a brave man, but he is selfish and has a bad disposition. He could plunge this entire world into chaos, start war between the nine regions, and kill countless elven kind! Things that the members of the Blades and I have prevented for the past millennium! I tried to convince that pig-headed Ruler Sigrid in there to not listen to him, but to no avail."

"Where are the rest of the blades?" Aang asked.

"Delphine and I, Esbern, are the only two left." Esbern hung his head. "Ulfric led a widespread genocide on Sky Haven Temple, our home, and hid it under the fallout of a major dragon attack."

"And he got away with that?" Gray clenched his fists.

"Ulfric has amazing persuasion abilities; the fact that he was infatuated with Sepharia at the time didn't help either." Esbern smirked. "She did say he was a tad lacking down-"

"I've heard enough," Aang cut in, "what do you need us to do?"

"We need to convince Sigrid that by lining with Ulfric and Kuuzer, he's selling his people to slavery! The ambassador is just telling Sigrid what he wants to hear!" Esbern said.

Gray smirked and pounded his fists. "Then I guess we're just gonna have to beat the truth out of him."

"A bit unorthodox," Esbern said, "but it will work."

"Here he comes," Aang said, watching as the ambassador, a tall and muscular man with hair and facial features similar to that of Wolverine, walked out from the longhouse. Six green claw-like marks were his face paint matching the long, steel blades that shot out of four of his knuckles on both hands.

"Hey, ass-wipe!" Gray shouted, getting no reaction from the ambassador. "Tell Sigrid everything!"

"What are you talking about?" He turned to face them. "You're from Earth, aren't you?"

"Yeah, and we're gonna kick your ass so hard you'll fly there unless you get back in there and start talking!" Gray whipped his shirt and pants off, falling into stance.

The ambassador chuckled. "That's right! You and baldy over there are who I'm contracted to. Two birds with one stone, I guess."

Esbern drew his sword and Aang fell into stance, wielding his gliding staff. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not just here to talk with Sigrid on Kuuzer's behalf," a black aura formed around him. "I'm here to kill you and whoever I stumble upon from Earth!"

**Looks like things have started heating up! What did Aela mean? Does Arulok have even more of a threat than Kuuzer and the dragons? Find out next time!**

Questions? Feel free to ask in the reviews section or send me a PM! Flaming will not help, if you want to whine, don't post a review about it.


	8. Betrayals and Ambassadors

**I own nothing**

Aela led Goku and Lee inside the fighter's hall. It was much larger on the inside with a high ceiling covered in hanging ornaments like pieces of shields and broken sword handles, obviously some trophy of some sort. In the center of the hall was a long dining table with bright red tablecloth. On the back wall was a large hearth with a lively flame. A grindstone, workbench, and coal-heated crafting forge formed a semi-circle around the hearth. Two sets of stairs led down to a lower level of the fighting hall; assorted swords and bows were on plaques on each side of the stairwell. "So everyone here has been expecting us?" Goku asked.

"Yes," Aela said, "with our planet in a cold war between Sepharia- who we prefer- and Ulfric Stormcloak, along with the constant threat of dragons attacking us, the last thing Arulok needs is to be the target of an invasion on this scale. This Dragonball; once you get it, the invaders will leave, correct?"

"So you know why they're here?" Lee asked, "Do you know who is leading them? Getting the Dragonball may not be enough to save you from those guys."

"Our first priority is to find the Dragonball," Farkas said. He and his brother were both tall and muscular with fair skin. Farkas too had yellow eyes; shoulder length, black hair and a slight five o'clock shadow which separated him from Vilkas, whose face was hairless except for three stray hairs in his cleft chin; the cleft chin was a genetic trait both Vilkas and Farkas possessed. "A few more of the space invaders landed east of Whiterun about the time we got into the fight with the pink alien."

"Their scouters might prove useful in our search," Vilkas said. "They were able to find us with them. If the Dragonball radiates energy, we could not only use Goku's chi sensor abilities but these to help verify what he's sensing."

"We can also find out who is sending them here," Goku said, "even though finding the Dragonball comes first, we'll need to stop those guys eventually."

"Let's go get them." Lee headed back toward the doors. "We shouldn't give them any more opportunities to hurt anyone else."

"Once we get their scouters we'll start to track down other sources of high levels of energy." Goku headed toward the door as well.

"Why can't you use your sensory skills to track them down?" Aela asked.

"I need to be familiar with a certain object or being's chi so I can sense it. Before that, strangers' energies just look like multicolored blobs. With the chi of the Dragonball changing every time they're used, chi sensing alone won't help you," Goku said. "Vegeta was able to find the Dragonballs extremely fast on Namek with his scouter, so let's hope the other scouters work just as well."

* * *

Vegeta and Inuyasha were led to a crudely built, shantytown with thin, makeshift merchant stands and hard, brittle farmland with small huts with straw roofing on them. The barren farming soil made up the vast majority of the village. "This is the Gray Quarter." Asuras led them toward one of the merchant stands. "This is where all of us dark elves live. The Nords get to live in all of the large houses."

A tall, lanky gray elf running a weaponry stand smiled and gestured them over. "I see you're back, Asuras. Where is the Grazas meat and the Juniper juice I told you to pick up from the caravans outside the gates?"

Asuras looked at the ground and frowned. "The guards took it, papa."

"They took it?" Valeris, Asuras' father, tightened his fists. "Those Kara'ak ne!"

"Papa!" Asuras exclaimed, covering her mouth for her father.

"I'm-" he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. We'll just wait until next week." He looked up at Vegeta and Inuyasha. "And who are you?"

"These guys are from the Royal City!" Asuras said, "They promised to help us!"

"As long as we get the Dragonball, of course." Vegeta tapped his scouter, getting four circles to appear on the screen._ Nothing but the dark elves here, it seems._

Valeris looked at Vegeta's armor uneasily. "You wear their armor."

"More like they wear mine," Vegeta said.

"I've seen several soldiers of Stormcloak's ranks headed to the main hall for a big event," Valeris said. "An ambassador of the invaders is going to deliver a speech to him about the progress of the search for the Dragonball and his leader's visions for Arulok. You'd might as well try to listen in."

Vegeta nodded.

"By the way, do the guards always discriminate against dark elves like they do at the front gate?" Inuyasha asked.

Valeris nodded gravely. "Anything that isn't a Nord is a spy for Sepharia. Stormcloak, a brave, idiotic Nord, is causing a civil war between the Nordic people and the elf-kind and Sepharia. He seriously believes that these space invaders are here to help him." He scoffed. "I really hope they stab him in the back."

"Once we find more information about the Dragonball, you won't need to worry about Stormcloak's stupid decisions." Vegeta smirked.

"You have no idea what happens to anyone that tries to even _touch_ Ulfric Stormcloak!" Valeris said, "Don't be stupid!"

Vegeta and Inuyasha headed toward the main town on a cobblestone sidewalk leading up to a large hall surrounded by hundreds of Nords and a few dark elves. Inuyasha grinned and waved to Asuras. "Thanks, Asuras."

"Nama'ak ii ryu!" Asuras grinned back at him.

Inuyasha and Vegeta headed toward the crowd. Inuyasha peaked over the crowd to get a look at the ambassador.

"Lord Kuuzer's first action will be to spread his armies and your territories west!" A young man with long, black hair said to the burly, blonde Ulfric Stormcloak sitting on his throne. "Our top scouts have determined that the Dragonball is actually in the western hemisphere! We've been helplessly searching the east! The farther west we expand, the closer we get to destroying Sepharia's forces and unlimited power! Do you realize the benefits of allying yourself to us?"

Vegeta and Inuyasha pushed their way to the center of the crowds at the entrance at the hall. A tall soldier wearing Saiyan armor stepped in front of them. "You cannot pass unless you have permission!"

"Look at my armor!" Vegeta barked, involuntarily gaining attention. "How dare you halt an elite and his cohort when on business!"

The soldier looked down at the yellow and white on Vegeta's armor, and the red color of his scouter. "My dearest apologies-"

"Step aside." Vegeta pushed the soldier out of the way and entered the hall, adding to the mass of rallying soldiers also wearing Saiyan armor. They split up, heading to opposite sides of the hall. Inuyasha crouched behind a tall, muscular soldier so he wouldn't get noticed.

"What do you think of this, Ulfric?" the ambassador said, getting an uproar of applause and cheers from the crowds. "Shall you join our-" He stopped abruptly as a chill traveled up his spine. He glanced uneasily about the hall.

"Something the matter, Bankotsu?" Ulfric asked.

_Bankotsu? The Band of Seven?_ Inuyasha clenched his fists as he remembered the struggle he went to defeat them the first time._  
_

"Do not waste my time here." Ulfric stood up and folded his arms.

A minuscule, white ball of chi formed on Vegeta's finger. _Bankotsu really thinks that anyone will just accept those conditions? Is he really that stupid? He doesn't even know what they want in exchange!_

_That energy..._ Bankotsu cleared his throat and grinned. _The dog demon is here... I will finally have my vengeance!_ "I apologize, King Stormcloak."

"_King_ Stormcloak." He smirked. "After thinking it over. I'll gladly ally myself and my armies to you."

Vegeta aimed the beam at Ulfric's head and fired. The beam impaled the Nordic leader through his ear and Ulfric slumped to the ground. Inuyasha turned and stared at Vegeta from twenty feet across the room in shock. Bankotsu's eyes frantically searched for the culprit from where he stood. Vegeta gestured toward the door and slowly crept outside the hall, followed by Inuyasha. "I would understand if it was Bankotsu, but why Ulfric?"

"The only way we may defeat these forces and find the Dragonball before they do is if we are just as ruthless as them." Vegeta folded his arms. "By the way, here he comes."

"Inuyasha!" Bankotsu charged toward Inuyasha wielding a large halberd. "I will not be defeated this-"

Inuyaha sent a knee strike into Bankotsu's stomach. Inuyasha followed up with a side kick into Bankotsu's face, sending him barreling back into the hall. Vegeta smirked and fell into a stance, drawing both hands toward one side of his face. "Galic Gun:"

Inuyasha shot his hand out to grab Vegeta's arm. "Vegeta! No!"

"Fire!" Vegeta exclaimed, sending a large, purple wave of energy into the hall. Vegeta pushed Inuyasha's arm away. "Get down!" Vegeta's Galic Gun hit Ulfric's throne, sparking a white explosion that swallowed the hall and the soldiers inside it.

Inuyasha stood up and stared at the ashes of the hall. "Really, Vegeta, what the hell?"

"We'll tell Valeris that he won't need to worry about Ulfric anymore. Then we make our way eastward."

"You did that for Valeris?"

"No," Vegeta began to float. "but it's a trustworthy excuse. Ulfric would have just hindered our progress more than this Kuuzer has done already."

* * *

The castle retained its Victorian-era atmosphere on the inside; large, candle-lit chandeliers hung from the ceiling in every room. "How do you like the commoners?"

"Okay, two things:" Ichigo started, "One, why is everyone scared of vampires, and two, how is it that everyone here can speak English?"

"The dovah's second language was an Earthen language; they were driven out in the mountains of the places you Earthlings call Russia, Germany, and Britain. The dovah took the language with them, and was what they used when speaking to mortals on Arulok." Harkon led them up a long flight of stairs through a small, dark corridor. "To answer your first question, about 300 years ago, my family and I escaped a group of vampire hunters from the monarchy. We were chased until we reached the layers of fog. The villagers didn't believe the story of the hunters. They helped us seek refuge in the 'cursed' fortress, that we're standing in, and defeat the hunters. My family and I then vowed to protect this village for their kindness, even though we are the beasts this entire town is now hunting."

"But if the villagers didn't know about your vampirism, why are they suspecting it now?" Ichigo asked.

"We got hungry," Harkon grinned. "My daughter and I went out into the fog, had our fill on a few felons traveling here, and ended up getting caught by a group of farmers herding their cows back to their field. Our eyes had changed in the fog, and the village used that to 'spot' a vampire. Those farmers soon rallied their friends to help hunt us for hundreds of years. They call themselves the Dawnguard. Numerous spies of the Dawnguard have been executed by me, personally. But still, they persist."

"Why are we here, then?" Piccolo said.

"Why were you out there?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Once you help me, I'll leave you alone."

"We don't have-"

"Piccolo." Ichigo folded his arms. "I've dealt with creatures like these before. Either we help him now, or we kill him later."

Piccolo thought it over. "Fine," he snarled, "let's have it then."

Harkon grinned slyly. "I have begun to suspect another spy in our ranks. He goes by the name of Sutnerok. Strange name for an Arulokian. I hired him as a day escort for my daughter four days ago, and already he is lighting things on fire and waking me in daylight; he tries to keep his feigned, innocent, aloofness, but I can see through his ruse. He's preparing to escort my daughter to the Royal City to speak with Sepharia on concerning matters involving the Stormcloaks and their spread; they've been trying to negotiate selling this hold of mine for a military base and Sepharia is the only one with the power to eradicate them. I need you two to accompany my daughter, Namekian and Shinigami, and ensure her safe return. I'm afraid this Sutnerok is a Stormcloak in disguise."

Ichigo nodded. "It will be done, but in return, I ask that you help in our search for the Dragonball."

"Ichigo..." Piccolo said uneasily.

"If he tells anyone, he'll answer to us." Ichigo smirked at Harkon.

"Then it's settled." Harkon stopped at the top of the stairwell and grinned. "Here they come now."

* * *

"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke shouted, firing a wide beam of energy from his index finger.

Zarbon smirked and lifted his arm, channeling a yellow aura through it. "Elegant-" Yusuke fazed out and threw a kick toward Zarbon's stomach. Zarbon used his knee to block the kick and spun around, sending Yusuke screaming through the air with a roundhouse kick. Zarbon giggled and charged his energy wave again. "Elegant Blaster!"

Yusuke flipped back and rocketed toward Zarbon. He swung his arm across and deflected Zarbon's attack back at the green drama freak. "What kinda dumbass name for an attack is that?"

Zarbon growled and charged toward Yusuke. "You haven't the mind to recognize my genius!"

Yusuke and Zarbon clashed, bouncing all around the ruined town, smashing through houses, watchtowers, fences, and anything else that could be smashed through by a human- or alien- body. Zarbon hit Yusuke in the face with a punch so hard it slammed him through a wall and into a burning building, most likely set on fire by Zarbon. Yusuke sprinted toward Zarbon and began another clash; the two now became blurs in a furious exchange of attacks. Zarbon ducked a punch and flipped back. Yusuke leaned right to dodge a flip kick and grabbed Zarbon's leg. "Erza!" Yusuke yelled, "Be ready to finish him off!" Yusuke ran toward a burning wall and began to spin, burning and dizzying the vain warrior.

"No!" Zarbon struggled to grab one of the numerous arms of Yusuke appearing in his now triple vision. "I shan't become fatigued! My scarlet beauty needs me!"

"Shut up already!" Yusuke flung Zarbon through the burning wall and directly at Erza.

Erza let out a battle cry and charged on the cobblestone sidewalks toward Zarbon. Her sword now gleamed as the sun pierced the clouds and pushed its light through. A red aura spiked around she and her sword. "Requip!" she exclaimed; her armor began to morph into a gleaming steel chest plate with two large metallic wings with a feather-like finish made of individual blades that looked like feathers. Her long, billowing skirt whooshed in the wind as she swung her sword down.

Zarbon rolled in mid-air and dodged the slash. He flipped around and countered with a burst of chi into Erza's stomach. "Fine!" Zarbon barked, sparking his aura. "If I can't have you, nobody-"

"Spirit Punch!" Yusuke appeared directly in front of Zarbon and slammed an energy enhanced fist into his face. Blood flew from Zarbon's face as it hit the stone street. Zarbon quickly scrambled to his feet and slowly felt his mouth. He looked at his hand, which was now covered in purplish blood.

Hot tears slowly streamed down Zarbon's face. "You- you dare touch my face?!"

Yusuke fell into a fighting stance. "Yeah. Would you like me to do it again?"

Zarbon grimaced at Yusuke and Erza. "_No one_ touches the face of Zarbon..." a black aura swirled around Zarbon as his entire body began to expand, growing to eight feet tall. His arms and legs bulged in muscle and veins. His face contorted from the vanity which he flaunted, but now was warty, slimy, and fat. He chuckled in a deep, shrill voice. "And lives!"

* * *

"Mukotsu," one of the assassins in black robes said. "I don't think this is how it works."

"What do you mean?" Mukotsu said, "I hired you to wipe these Shinobi off the face of the planet!"

"But, finding them is half the job!"

"That means you owe me half of my pay!"

"The Brotherhood's policy is no refunds-"

"Just kill them already!" Mukotsu whined, "The fog poison is starting to disappear!"

The assassin and Mukotsu further argued. Kakashi and Naruto looked at each other, just barely through the mist. Naruto wore his forehead protector around his mouth and held his nose with one hand. Kakashi nodded and pulled out a kunai. Blue lightning began to form around the blade and crackled and buzzed with more intensity moment after moment. Naruto closed his eyes; at least a dozen outlines of the assassins appeared. He slowly turned until he saw Mukotsu's silhouette. Naruto pointed at the fog at the frog-like Mukotsu, catching Kakashi's attention. Kakashi's Sharingan began to glow red. He disappeared into the hot, thick, fog.

Mukotsu's bickering ceased, followed by a hard thud. _We take the rest of them out. Not death, but unconscious long enough to search for the Dragonball and leave, _Naruto said telepathically to Kakashi. The assassins slowly began to creep closer to the source of Mukotsu's thud, growing more afraid with every sound of another member of their creed being knocked unconscious. Naruto grabbed the last standing man's face and slammed the back of his head to the wall. The assassin crumpled to the ground. Naruto and Kakashi found each other in the fog. The fog slowly dissipated, leaving Naruto and Kakashi surrounded by knocked out assassins. Naruto closed his eyes. Three red, circular silhouettes appeared in his vision behind the doors leading to the back rooms of the bunker they had been lured into.

Kakashi flipped his book open and returned to his normal calmness which he always carried about himself. "Where do you want to start?"

* * *

Bronze pipes pumped water and gas to the lower levels of the poorly lit, moldy, industrial ruin Trunks and Edward were trapped in. The sound of something scuttling on the ceiling made Edward nearly jump. He looked up. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure," Trunks said, "but it's not interested in us. Let's keep moving."

Edward nodded. "Right."

They turned a corner and ran down a stairwell. "Do you still sense the power level?" Trunks asked, "I feel it."

"It's pretty distant though; I know it's down here, but we have a long way to go before we reach it." Edward ran down the last few steps and was met by a tall, bronze gate. Behind the gate was a row of wooden and bronze pikes, each with the severed head of a murdered traveler.

Trunks pushed open the gate. A cold, dank gust hit their faces as they entered. The pipes seemed to stop there as they stepped on cold, wet, black mud. They looked around. The walls were now entirely damp rock; they glowed blue and green and made the home of red, glowing moss, forming the only source of light as they entered the cavern. A clicking sound followed by the tumult of a group of creatures getting closer turned their attention to the other side of the cavern leading deeper into the mountain. The stampede was led by a tall, pale man wearing a hide-like loincloth and black paint on his face. His face was wild and unkempt, his body looked frail and malnourished, and his nails were black due to all of the mud lodged underneath them. He rode on top of a large, black, centipede and spotted Trunks and Edward. He lifted his blade, a long, carved scimitar made entirely out of wood, and charged toward them. Several men and women in similar condition ran behind him.

"Who the hell are they?" Edward said, raising his auto-mail arm.

Trunks spun his sword. "I don't know, but I believe that old guy might."

Edward and Trunks fazed out, seemingly disappearing due to their speed. The centipede the leader was riding on slumped to the ground as Edward chopped its legs off. Edward demounted the rider with a powerful palm strike. Edward whipped around, sending a roundhouse kick into another attacker's face. "Buster Cannon!" Trunks exclaimed, blasting a large hole into the ground with a ball of blue chi. The majority of the attackers fell into the hole and landed with a soft thud on the bottom.

Trunks grinned. "Your training is paying off."

Edward gave him a thumb up. "Thanks! You're a pretty good fighter too!"

"Let's get going." Trunks and Edward ran to the other side of the cavern.

The sound of static in the air startled them as they entered another industrial hallway with a new set of pipes. Workbenches had rusted materials scattered all over them. The static grew more intense as a deep, steady, metallic breathing echoed through the hallway and up the stairs. Edward and Trunks walked for what seemed like days when really it was a few hours. They did not encounter much after the ordeal in the damp caverns besides for a few of the centipedes and a few more of the marauders that ambushed them along the way. All the while, the static remained, along with the heavy breathing. A clamorous, robotic laugh would pierce their eardrums, making them shudder every time they heard it.

They approached a large set of double-doors made entirely out of steel. A bright light seeped in through the crack between the doors, indicating they had reached the outside again. "This is it," Edward said, placing his hand on the door.

"Welcome!" the voice over the static said, "god, you guys are slow."

"Who are you?" Trunks asked, "Show yourself!"

"I'd like to congratulate you two in making it here!" it said, "I'm Ginkotsu, the host of 'kill the earthlings'!"

"Like that's gonna happen!" Edward shouted.

"Well?" it continued, "Get out here and meet your-"

The rest of his sentence was interrupted by a loud, rumbling, guttural roar that shook the entire mountain. "What the heck is that?"

White-hot fire melted the bronze, letting the full brightness of the sun shine through. Edward recognized that roar by now. "You're about to find out."

* * *

The sounds of laughter and beer mugs clinking together for toasts guided Luffy and Zoro closer to the guild they had been searching for. The inside of the sewer, the underground, was very dark. Even with Zoro and Luffy's eyes adjusting to the darkness, their hearing and Luffy's sensory skills were what kept them from going in circles in the labyrinth underneath Riften. Two lanterns in front of a thin, rickety, wooden door hung from the walls. Luffy opened the door and walked in. They headed across a bridge and toward a tattered sign that read, "The Ragged Flagon".

Luffy grinned. "I smell food."

They rushed past the sign and through a short passageway into a run down pub. It looked like it had been abandoned at one point or there wasn't an upkeep staff; large mold spots blotched the low ceiling, clouds of dust billowed around the waiter's shoe as it hit the ground, broken plates and beer mugs were piled up in a corner of the pub. Men and women, Nord, light-skinned elf, and Dark Elf alike, sat around tables and drank, ate, and laughed. The pub's waiter glared at the two Straw Hat Pirates as they entered but quickly glanced away. All of the customers wore black, hooded, leather armor. One of the customers, a short, bald light-skinned man with venomous green eyes, looked over his shoulder at the pirates. "Nak duka'a?"

Luffy stared at him with a blank expression. "What?"

He turned back to his friends sitting at the table. "Are you lost?"

"We're here looking for a guild," Zoro said, "and by the matching clothes, I guess you're it."

The pub fell silent as everyone glared at Zoro. "You've got the wrong place, pal," a large Dark Elf with blonde hair stood from his chair.

Luffy jingled a set of keys he stole off of the "guards" at the gate. "These say you're lying."

"You took those too?" Zoro said.

"One of them says, 'guild chest key' on it, and I doubt that 'guild' stands for something else." Luffy smirked.

"I say you have no idea what you're doin' down here." The elf menacingly approached them.

"We'll pay." Luffy pulled out both pouches of money he swiped- also from the guards- and held them out.

"How much?"

"Fifty," Zoro said. "That's as much as we'll pay for what we need you for."

"Fifty?" The entire pub broke out laughing. The short, bald Nord stood next to his Dark Elf friend. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He said in a mocking, condescending tone with his cockney accent.

"We're pirates."

"What are you doing here on the mainland?"

"Trying to save our planet, Earth," Zoro said, "We're looking for a very powerful object."

"You're with Sepharia? Looking for the Dragonball?" The bald man spat on the ground. "Bullshit. No pirate would'a made it outta the Royal Palace alive let alone ally themselves to the Queen. Now leave before we drop you into the waste system."

"Like that's gonna happen!" Luffy said.

The entire guild stood up. "You two wanna take on a whole guild?"

Zoro cracked his knuckles. "I won't even use my swords."

The Dark Elf smirked. "If you take all of our lot down, we'll help you find the Dragonball for free."

"Deal!" Luffy spiked his aura, making the Dark Elf hop back in surprise.

"What the hell is this kid?" the bald, cockney-accented man exclaimed.

The Dark Elf took a fighting pose. "Look's like we're about to see!"

* * *

They entered the quiet outside of the campus. The snow had become less of a storm as they reached the campus, giving Zuko and Natsu a chance to look around. Three large buildings, made out of a seemingly more unyielding material than other structures they've seen. In the center of the three buildings was a tall, white statue of a hooded man wielding fire in one hand and ice in the right. "Now," the light skinned elf led them into the building facing the front of the statue. Its doors were larger than the other two, and was the only building with a carving of a large eye in the stones above the door. "Welcome to the main building. The stairway on your left leads up to the library, where we have a collection of spell tomes to teach you new forms of magic from all four classes: destruction, conjuration, alteration, and illusion."

"Like..." A sly grin formed on Natsu's face. "Ice or lightning magic?"

She nodded. "Yes." She cleared her throat. "The stairway on your right leads to the arch-mage Mirabelle's quarters. Only bother her if it's an emergency." She led them toward the center of the building. Scorched and beaten training dummies were in a circle around a carving in the ground like the eye carving above the doors. Three students wearing the required blue and white robe uniforms with tan, baggy pants fired a variety of spells. An older gentleman wearing purple and white robes supervised them, nodding and smiling about their work.

A short-haired Dark Elf with orange eyes swung her arm in an uppercut motion. A fiery red portal opened in the ground and a volley of spectral arrows impaled the dummy, making it rock back and forth. "Very good, Brelyna!" the supervisor said. "Make sure all arrows hit next time!"

The second student, a tall, broad-shouldered, young Nordic man with bright, blue eyes, crouched behind his classmate, a tall, lean, white, snow leopard humanoid with a fluffy, striped tail. He did not have paws, but human-like hands with very long claws. He glared at a training dummy and held out his arm as to grab it. His yellow eyes closed as he formed a tight fist. The dummy's head caved in like something had crushed it, similar in the way of one stomping a soda can. His eyes flew open as his ears perked up. "Onmund, your illusion spells are no illusion for J'zargo," he said in a thick, Persian accent.

A red ball of energy hit J'zargo's back from Onmund. "Or are they?" Onmund smirked.

J'zargo growled in sudden anger and whipped around, sending Onmund tumbling back with a roundhouse kick to the face. J'zargo whipped the dummy head through a glass window near the back of the room and cringed when the glass shattered."Wrong spell, Onmund, that was Fury," the supervisor said, "but nice try." He took a deep breath. "J'zargo-"

"I know, I know," J'zargo closed both eyes and moved his hands as if he was solving a puzzle. The broken glass slowly began to fix itself and returned to its position in the window.

"Master Tolfdir," the redheaded elf said.

The supervisor turned around. He was a short, light skinned elf with long, scraggly, white hair. "Yes, Master Faralda?"

"We have two new entries." The other three students stopped practicing and turned to stare at Natsu and Zuko. "They are Earthen wizards, both specializing in destruction magic."

"Alright then," Tolfdir said, "Let's see what you can-"

Zuko screamed in pain and fell to the floor. Two large gashes opened in his back, spraying blood on the walls. Natsu gasped and clenched his fists, looking around worriedly for the culprit. As if it was instinct, he leaned right, noticing the gleam of a long, invisible blade. Natsu threw a kick, hitting the blade's wielder in the face. "Gotcha!"

"Onmund! J'zargo! Get the boy to safety and heal him the best you can!" Tolfdir shot a blue spell at the wielder, dispelling his invisibility.

The wielder, a moderate height, black haired man wearing a purple hakama nefariously grinned. "Well you caught little old Jakotsu." His blade was a broad sword made up of at least fifty chain-linked blades held together by pins. "Now, let little old Jakotsu make you _scream!_"

Brelyna opened two purple portals on each side of her. "That... was probably the weirdest thing I've ever heard, ever."

"What do you mean?" Jakotsu poised his blade for attack..

"I'm not sure whether to be scared, angry, both, I mean- your whole 'make you scream' bit is completely incoherent."

"People always commenting on my life!" Jakotsu dramatically through his head back.

Natsu lowered his guard. "Can- can we fight now?"

Jakotsu's face boiled with anger. "You wanna fight? I'll give you a fight!"

_What's gotten into this guy?_ Natsu thought to himself. He spiked his aura. "Then what are we waiting for?"

**I will have the next few chapters focusing on two/three groups per chapter.**


	9. Reunite

**I own nothing**

They walked through the wreckage of the ships that landed. "I wonder if they all made it," Aela said.

"Most likely," Goku said, looking inside one of the snow-covered space pods. "There's no one in the ships."

"Here we are," Farkas said, looking down into a stone pit leading into a crypt. The entrance was not very visible from where they were standing; the only indication that there was an entrance was a small beam of light slicing through the darkness of the pit.

"Are you sure?" Vilkas asked him.

"Yeah." Goku closed his eyes. "Five of them are on the move as we speak. The source of power is pretty far from here. They're heading that way too."

"Wait," Aela brushed past Farkas and carefully continued to the floor of the pit. She turned toward the light, revealing itself to be a torch that had been stuck into a chink in the stone walls of the crypt. A few of the rotting corpses of the dead buried there were laying on the ground with their arms and legs blasted all around the first room, like something literally blew them apart.

"Aela! Look out!" Lee leaped to the bottom of the pit and spun around, knocking a large axe on a pendulum off its hinge with a roundhouse kick. Lee dented the flat side of the axe.

"Thank you," Aela admired Lee's sheer strength.

Goku and the twins followed Aela and Lee into the crypt. "It seems as there was a fight here," Farkas said.

"But between who?" Vilkas said.

"The only things that look like they've been in a fight are the corpses," Goku's eyes widened at the thought dawning on him. "Do you think-"

"No," Farkas said, "there is no way."

They continued through the first room and opened a set of wooden double doors. Three rows of upright, stone coffins led to a second set of double doors. An eerie feeling stopped Goku from going any further. "Do you feel that?"

"They're dead, Goku," Farkas said, "I'm pretty sure they won't come back."

Just then, the lids to all of the coffins fell to the floor, breaking into pieces. Vilkas' eyes grew wide as he drew his weapon, prepared to fight whatever came out. "I wouldn't be so hasty, brother."

Twelve armored undead soldiers stepped out of their coffins and turned to Goku and the others simultaneously as if they were in a deep trance. "Paak as esdik!" the soldier closest to the door yelled.

The other soldiers unsheathed ancient, rusty blades and formed a line. Twenty-four glowing, undead eyes stared at the living in front of them. Aela shot an arrow into the leader's head. "No!" she exclaimed, notching another arrow. "No, no, no, no, no!" She fired several more arrows at the undead, impaling seven of them, making them crumble with each shot.

The five remaining undead charged.

Farkas and Vilkas ran to greet them with steel, defeating them with the flash of their blades. "Let's go."

Aela punted one of the undead's head into the air. "And stay dead!"

Goku and Lee looked at each other. "Well, alright." Lee grinned. _Do not make Aela mad. Ever._

Farkas now took lead. He led them through several more rooms, killing the occasional undead again left by the group of Kuuzer's soldiers which Goku and the others had been tracking. As they ventured through the seemingly endless, lifeless halls, the remains of the battles that took place became more and more graphic. Puddles of blood and bodies of Kuuzer's soldiers became more frequent, almost if the undead were trying to tire them out for something darker, more powerful, to drag them to Hell itself. The worst of it all was that the soldiers' scouters were either destroyed or not on the body. At last, they came upon a tall iron gate with a black aura surrounding the bars. The thickness of the aura blocked any vision of what was inside; all Goku could tell was that the soldiers they had followed were now dead. One massive power level beyond the gate remained. "This is it." Goku grabbed one of the bars. "I'll go in first."

As soon as he said that, the bars turned into dust. Goku stepped past the gate, entering the room. The black aura began to materialize and form into a thick, purulent fog. Lee's eyes widened. "Goku," He ran toward the fog, not realizing that the wall of buzzing electricity in place of the bars on the gate only allowed one person in at a time. "Wait!" He ran headfirst into the wall of energy and screamed in pain as he came to an abrupt halt, clenching his teeth as the shocks stung his insides.

Aela reached out to grab Lee's arm. Vilkas held her back in despite her willingness to save their friend. Lee mustered up the strength to throw himself back, smacking the back of his head on the hard, cold ground. Aela rushed toward him and sat him upright. A long, white strand of hair fell off his head. "Lee!" She shook him lightly. "Lee!" She quickly slapped Lee across the face. "He's out cold, probably has a concussion."

"Goku, come back here!" Farkas said, "Lee's unconscious! Grab any scouters and let's get out of here!"

Goku's body slammed into the wall next to the gate. "I'm kinda in the middle of something!" Goku said. He fired a volley of chi blasts at his attacker. The attacker, a tall, floating, glowing ghoul wearing a bronze mask with black paint in spikes around the eye holes and where the mouth should be. It carried a long, black katana with a red aura around the blade. Its bones were brown and decayed; nearly all of the skin had peeled off in large clumps, leaving the ghoul with only a few patches of blue skin. The ghoul was different than all of the other undead Goku had encountered. This one wore tattered red robes with gold and jewelry on its hands and around its neck. It swung at Goku through the black fog filling the room. Goku ducked and kicked, crashing straight through the ghoul's chest. Goku pulled his leg out, dodging a sword slash. Goku whipped around in a circle, knocking the scimitar out of the ghoul's hand with a roundhouse kick. "Kamehameha!" Goku exclaimed, firing a large, blue wave of death at the ghoul.

"KOR! ZAH! KIIN!" the ghoul shouted, redirecting the Kamehameha wave back at Goku.

"You shouted it back." Goku leaped over his own attack. "Your _shout_ sent it back! Unbelievable!" Goku fired a large wave of yellow energy at the ghoul, vaporizing it on contact. The ghoul's mask and sword clattered on the ground. Goku grinned. "Well, that was fun."

The fog quickly disappeared and the wall of electricity vanished, allowing Aela and the others see what was inside. Aela gasped and quickly ran into the room. She marveled at the large, stone wall in front of Goku. The wall's peak was decorated with a carved dragon's head out of stone with candle flames for eyes and its mouth wide open, as if it was roaring. Three lines of carvings below the dragon's head began to radiate a bright blue energy. "Goku," Aela said, "do you know what you've done?"

Like it was possessed, the black katana flew to Goku's hand. The color of the blade changed to white but kept its red aura. The mask slapped itself on Goku's face, quickly molding itself around the shape of Goku's head to fit perfectly. Two holes opened on where the nose should be, allowing Goku to breathe. "No, not really!"

The three carvings' energy emanated from the lines and flowed to the dragon head's mouth, forming a light blue ball of ancient energy. Goku ripped the mask from his face and looked up at the dragon's head. The dragon's head fired the energy directly into Goku's face, sending the Saiyan tumbling back. Goku laid on the ground, holding his head in pain like he had an awful migraine.

Aela stood over him. "How do you feel?"

Goku opened his eyes and slowly stood up. His head slowly reared back as a light blue aura spiked around him. He shut his eyes again and screamed until his face turned red.

"Goku?" Aela asked again, "What's happening to you?"

Goku breathed heavily. He glared at the dragon's head on the top of the magical wall. "FUS!"

Aela stepped away from him. "What?"

"RO!"

"Get down!" Vilkas tackled Aela and dived to the ground.

"DAH!" Goku shouted, blowing a massive hole into the ceiling and literally blowing the dragon's head off its peak. The stale evening air of Arulok rushed in. Goku gazed about in shock at the damage he caused. He looked through the massive hole and smiled. He waved to the dog half-demon through the hole. "Hey, Inuyasha! How's the search going?"

Inuyasha floated into the crypt, followed by a savagely beaten Vegeta. Inuyasha was in near equal condition.

Goku's smiled contorted into a angry grimace. "What happened?"

"Kuuzer happened," Inuyasha said, "and his men are happening at the palace."

Goku put a limp Lee over his back. "Cowards. Half of us can't even fight back! How many are left?"

"Tien, Uryu, and Chad are the only ones there still capable of fighting."

"What happened to Vegeta?"

The sides of Inuyasha's mouth curled into a mocking grin. "He got-"

"Shut up, Inuyasha!" Vegeta cut in.

"I'll tell you later." Inuyasha tightened his fists. "Right now, we have a lot of asses to kick."

"Aela, Farkas, Vilkas, thanks for helping," Goku said, "but this is a personal matter now."

"What about the scouters? You won't be able to find the Dragonball!" Farkas said.

"They can wait." Goku flew out of the crypt, leaving empty-handed of his objectives. "Don't worry though," he yelled back, "after we're done, there will be more than enough scouters!"

* * *

"It's getting late," Ichigo said. "Selena, how are you holding up?"

Selena tilted her umbrella to where it was blocking the setting sun. Her tall, pale, slim body slowly steamed due to the sun's rays pushing through the tiny holes in her Victorian-era dress. Her cloth-topped shoes were caked with compacted snow. "I'm fine, thank you," she said in a light, Romanian accent. "Where are the Namekian and Sutnerok?"

"Piccolo's probably ripping the idiot off his cape, again." Ichigo folded his arms. "Should we go back for them?"

"No," Selena smirked. "They'll catch up eventually."

"Damn it!" Piccolo exclaimed, barreling into Ichigo.

"Sorry!" Sutnerok yelled, running to catch up with them. He was a tall, bald individual with light skin and purple warpaint across his face. A purple dragon head tattoo sat in the middle of his forehead. He stopped alongside Selena and put on a sly smirk, the one he always wears.

"Idiot," Selena said, "we're almost there. Would you mind _not _getting one of us killed?"

Sutnerok chuckled in response. He looked ahead and pointed at the start of a paved cobblestone road between two large hills with a direction post in front of it. "Straight ahead. We get past the military town and the Royal City will only be five miles away from there." He ran ahead, going all the way down the cobblestone road and out of sight.

"Wait for us!" Ichigo said, walking faster to catch up.

Selena's eyes narrowed. "Ichigo, stop."

"Why?" Ichigo asked.

"Be wary of him now," she said. "We don't use miles here."

"Ichigo, check the left hill." Piccolo ran up the right hill.

Ichigo quickly reached the top of the hill. "Another ambush?" Ichigo said, watching a group of ten of Kuuzer's soldiers staring at Sutnerok running across the road. Ichigo unsheathed Zangetsu. He fazed out, striking down six of the ten in three slashes. He fired a quick burst of energy at the other four, dropping them like flies. Ichigo looked over at Piccolo on the other hill. They both looked down at Sutnerok who had stopped, waiting for Selena to walk into the trap. Ichigo and Piccolo fazed out, reappearing behind Sutnerok.

Sutnerok's eyes widened. "Oh, hey guys!" He said, trying to play it off. "You took care of those guys!"

Piccolo sent an elbow strike into the back of Sutnerok's head, knocking him unconscious. "Harkon was right."

"Whoever sent Sutnerok must have wanted Selena dead," Ichigo said.

"It's dirty politics. Silence the voice of reason, and the voice of chaos speaks in his place," Piccolo kicked Sutnerok's body across the road.

"Well," Ichigo said, "at least he's not an American politician."

"Selena," Piccolo said, "I'd prefer it if you'd finish him off. He'll do more good dead than alive."

Selena knelt down next to Sutnerok's body and ran her hand across his neck. "Is it- is it okay?"

Piccolo nodded.

"But Mr. Piccolo!" Ichigo said in protest.

"You should have said something before," Piccolo said bluntly, watching as Selena's fangs pierced Sutnerok's jugular.

Ichigo growled out of frustration. "Fine, but ask me first before you go telling people to eat each other!"

"I am a _vampire_, you know?" Selena said, wiping her mouth of a line of blood.

Ichigo sheathed Zangetsu. "Let's get going." The three continued their journey to the Royal City uninterrupted. As they came upon the military town, the smell of smoke grew heavier in the air. Bolts of energy whizzed past their heads occasionally. They started up the path to the entrance of the town. Large, orange flames roared, causing bits of cinder to fall. "What the hell happened here?"

"Spirit Gun!"

A blue beam of energy flew over Ichigo's head. "Damn it, Yusuke! Watch out where you're pointing those things!"

"My bad!" Yusuke dropped in front of them, covered in cuts and bruises. "It's about time you showed up!"

"What's going on here?" Ichigo gripped the handle of Zangetsu.

Erza shot over the wall and landed right next to Yusuke, requiping her usual armor and sword. "What does it look like?" she panted, falling into another fighting stance.

"We just felt like ransacking a village, Ichigo." Yusuke spiked his aura.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "I'm not laughing, Yusuke."

"Long story short, douche-bag named Zarbon hits on Erza, we fight, douche-bag turns into fatass, fatass is kicking our asses, and here we are," Yusuke said.

Zarbon laughed maniacally as he rose high into the air. "A new challenger has stepped up!"

Yusuke and Erza spiked their aura. "Hang back, guys." Ichigo pulled the Hollow mask over his entire face. "We got this."

Zarbon's grin quickly faded. "A Hollow?"

Piccolo fazed out, reappearing behind Zarbon. "And a Namekian." Piccolo arched Zarbon back with a kick to the kidneys. Ichigo followed up with a heel smash to the face, slamming Zarbon to the ground.

"You guys almost had him too," Ichigo said.

Yusule and Erza charged. "Whaddya mean, almost?" Yusuke said, firing a Spirit Gun at Zarbon's back.

Zarbon rolled to his feet and charged, clashing with the spirit detective and the battlemage, quickly becoming fatigued. Ichigo and Piccolo joined the fight, immobilizing the green behemoth with swift, strong attacks. "Let's finish this!" Ichigo said, grabbing Zarbon's ponytail. He thrust his sword toward Zarbon's chest. Zarbon caught the tip of Zangetsu and threw it aside. He sent a punch toward Ichigo's stomach. Ichigo arched forward in pain before dropping to the ground.

"Stop dragging it out, Ichigo," Erza said, bursting into the air and chopping Zarbon's ponytail.

Ichigo retrieved Zangetsu. "You think I'm trying to?"

"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke exclaimed, piercing Zarbon's stomach with his signature attack.

"Destructive Wave!" Piccolo fazed out, locking Zarbon in a half-nelson. He held Zarbon as the Destructive Wave hit him. "Now." Piccolo clutched Zarbon's head and neck. "We end this now." He twisted Zarbon's neck, snapping it nearly instantly. Zarbon's body dropped to the ground.

Ichigo sheathed Zangetsu and took off his Hollow mask. "Now that's over."

The four stood in the wreckage of the city in silence. Yusuke's head perked up.

"What?" Erza said.

Yusuke's face grew with worry. "We need to get back to the Royal City now."

Ichigo and Piccolo nodded. The three burst into the air, leaving Erza on the ground. "I can't fly!" Erza shouted.

"Just change into an armor that can!" Yusuke shouted back, rapidly growing smaller in the air.

"What about me?!" Selena yelled.

Piccolo swooped down and lifted Selena into the air. "Better?"

"Wait until my father hears about this!" Selena whined.

* * *

Naruto and Kakashi had been running farther and farther south, realizing that the Dragonball was nowhere to be found in the northernmost region of Arulok. Naruto had felt a disturbance, telling him that he needed to get back to the Royal City as soon as possible. The air became more polluted and smoggy, making Kakashi glad he only had one eye exposed. Naruto had "borrowed" one of the assassin's outfits for the face-wrap from the nose down just to get through the industrially polluted air. His forehead protector could barely be seen from underneath the hood. Naruto rubbed his eyes. "This air is burning my eyes!" he whined, "Hey, Kakashi, how are you not rubbing your eyes?"

"It itches. A lot. Rubbing just makes it worse." Kakashi and Naruto hopped over a large rock and kept running, slowly approaching a tall mountain spewing industrial smoke from the top. The sounds of crackly laughter with static like it was being run through a bad radio connection could be heard from the top. A loud, guttural, rumbling roar shook the ground after, like the thunder after lightning. "What was _that_?"

"Let's go check it out!" Naruto energetically flew into the air. "See you at the top, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi fazed out, speedily scaling the side of the mountain. "Just because you can fly doesn't mean you're faster-"

Suddenly, a large, green-winged dragon swooped down, nearly knocking Kakashi off of the side of the mountain. "Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed, dodging the dragon as it darted past him.

"Two more have come to play with Ginkotsu?" Ginkotsu, a humungous cyborg with spiky red hair, leaped from the top of the snowy, rocky mountain. "Initiating attack sequence: GinkotsuCODE628!" The cyborg said with the same voice as the laughter before the dragon's roar. The cyborg's shoulder pads opened, revealing several loaded missiles ready to fire.

"Naruto! Over here!" Edward Elric shouted, "Quickly! The dragon can teleport!"

"He can what?" Naruto cringed in pain as a large, green tail smacked him into the air. Naruto slammed into a set of bronze doors on the top of the mountain facing the rows of workbenches and crumpled to the ground. Naruto sat up and looked around. The entire top of the mountain was covered in bronze. Stone and steel workbenches for building weapons and dummies to test out the new items were strewn about. Most of the swords were heavily corroded, meaning that they had not been used in a very long time. The industrial smoke came from a factory pipe above the set of doors leading into the mountain. The top of the Royal Palace could barely be seen over the numerous other mountains to the south.

"I told you to look out," Edward said.

"Yeah, thanks." Naruto stood up, alongside Edward, Kakashi, and Trunks.

"You should have dodged that," Kakashi said. "I guess we need to emphasize speed and agility when we get back to Konoha."

"Fire!" Ginkotsu said, raining missiles down upon the four earthlings standing on the mountain.

They leaped into the air and out of the way of the missiles. "I'm just wondering," Kakashi said, "did this guy just come out of the blue trying to kill you?"

"Yeah," Trunks said. "Have you had something similar? I noticed that's not Naruto's usual outfit."

Kakashi nodded. "Similar is a bit stretching it."

"Rasengan!" Naruto exclaimed, punching through Ginkotsu's chest. Ginkotsu's eyes widened as oil sputtered from his mouth. Naruto flew back as Ginkotsu hit the ground, exploding on impact. "While you guys were talking, I took it upon myself to get rid of this guy."

"Cool," Kakashi said bluntly. "Now, the dragon."

The dragon roared in response and disappeared in thin air. "Back to back!" Kakashi ordered, arranging the four in a circle facing outward with weapons drawn.

An eerie silence fell over the mountain. Naruto, Edward, and Trunks closed their eyes to search for the dragon's chi signature. Kakashi lifted his headband, allowing the _tomoe_ in his Sharingan to wheel about.

Silence.

"He's flying away." A small, green outline of the energy radiating from the dragon grew smaller and smaller in Trunks' vision. "He got bored. He's not even flying away that fast-" The dragon

teleported again. "It's gone."

"It got _bored?_" Naruto and Edward said simultaneously, feeling used. "If he would have waited, we would have gladly kicked his ass!"

"You took to long taking it upon yourself, Naruto." Kakashi stowed away his kunai knives.

"At least I beat something, unlike you, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Congratulations," Kakashi said, making Naruto growl in annoyance. "Edward, Trunks, any luck in finding the Dragonball?"

"No." Trunks sheathed his sword. "We were going to head back to the Royal City. Edward has a feeling that Winry might be in trouble."

"That's where we were headed," Kakashi said, "Naruto felt like getting back to the Royal City was life and death."

"Then let's get going." Naruto leaped off the side of the mountain and flew into the air.

"Kakashi can't fly, Naruto," Trunks said.

"I don't need to fly, Trunks." Kakashi took a running leap off of the mountain and grabbed on to Naruto's leg.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Let's go." Kakashi pulled out his _Icha-Icha_ book and flipped it open to the bookmark.

Naruto smirked. He spiked his aura and burst off as fast as he could, purposely jolting Kakashi. Kakashi's eyes widened as his book nearly left his grasp. "Naruto! Don't do that!"

Naruto chuckled mischievously.

* * *

"Where'd you get the ship?" the Dark Elf from the secretive guild asked, wrapping bandages around his forehead. He winced as the bandages touched the cut across the top of his head, the pain brought on by Luffy's fist.

"The boat docks, where else?" Luffy said, taking a deep breath. "Not the same air as Earth, but sea air nonetheless!" He spun the wheel, turning the boat slightly less against the wind. The boat creaked and moaned due to its poor condition. Green and white fungus festered on the old, pale, gray ship. Holes the size of cannonballs dotted the sides, just above the water. If the holes were any lower, the ship would sink. Water still managed to splash its way into the lower decks of the ship, prompting the need for the several members of the guild to bring large buckets with them to pour the water out. Sixteen men manned the eight cannons on either side of the middle deck.

"You stole it? And no one's noticed that it's gone?" The bald, cockney-accented man said, "Nice. Maybe we should ask Brynjolf to let these guys into our guild. How about it, Wu-shei?" He beckoned over to the tall Dark Elf. "Wu-shei?"

"No, Delvin," Wu-shei said. "They are pirates. They work differently than thieves."

Delvin nodded. He looked over the ship's side with his one good eye, the one not busted by Zoro. A large, pale, yellow figure at least fifty feet long and twenty feet wide dove underneath the ship. _That's a pretty large fish._ "Wu-Shei, what does the compass say?"

"A little more to the port side, Luffy!" Wu-Shei said, feeling the ship turn to the left and continue on its way.

Zoro looked over Wu-Shei's shoulder and at the compass. A spherical, blue, glass ball with a ruby carved in the shape of an arrow floated above Wu-Shei's hand. "That's a strange compass, Wu-Shei. It doesn't even have direction markers on it."

"It doesn't follow directions," Wu-Shei said, "but the immediate future of the captain."

"It sees the future?" Zoro said.

"In a sense, yes, but it feeds off of the thoughts and emotions of Luffy and his friends, making a prediction of what Luffy needs to do," Wu-Shei explained, "also, it tells Luffy where to intervene when necessary."

Zoro nodded. "So, what does he _need_ to do?"

"I don't know," Wu-Shei said.

Zoro looked up at the clear sky. "That's reassuring-" The ship rocked to the side. Wu-Shei, Delvin, and Zoro tumbled into the railings on the left of the ship. "Watch out for rocks, Luffy!"

"That wasn't me!" Luffy said, frantically grabbing the wheel.

"Then what was it?" Delvin said, looking over the edge of the ship. The yellowish fish still swam alongside them. It's bony, spine-like top fin stuck out like a shark's fin in the water. "Oh."

"What is it?" Zoro asked.

"Just a large Kiontu fish," Delvin said. "Hey, Zoro, want fish for lunch?"

Zoro's stomach growled. "I'll get it." He smirked. "After all, we gotta pay you guys something."

"I'm gonna pretend that fight never happened," Delvin folded his arms.

Zoro leaped onto the back of the fish and sunk his sword into it. The fish roared in pain and swam deeper, forcing Zoro to swim after it. Delvin watched as the fish descended into the sea, but as its tail fin went up, he realized it wasn't a fin. Two large, three-toed feet kicked in the air, before slowly retreating into the water. "What the hell?"

"What?" Luffy asked. A large fist shot out of the water, knocking the ship into the air. Luffy extended his arm, catching Delvin and Wu-Shei. The ship crashed onto the water, splashing the top deck. Luffy set the guild members down. "Delvin, take the wheel."

The giant fist reared back for another attack. Zoro ran up its arm. "It's not a fish!" Zoro jumped off of the fist.

"You don't say!" Luffy leaped into the air and caught Zoro's hand. "Let's go Zoro!"

Luffy spun Zoro around and threw him at the fist. Zoro swung his swords, taking every finger of the giant's hand off. Luffy fazed out, wrapping his arms around the giant, extending them both to thirty feet long. Luffy's fingernails dug into the giant's submerged shoulder. "Hold on, Zoro!" Luffy spiked his aura.

"What are you going to do?" Zoro asked, suddenly losing his balance as Luffy yanked back.

"Move all cannons to the top deck!" Luffy ordered, "Fire when I say so!"

Wu-Shei and Delvin nodded and ran down to the middle deck.

Luffy let out a battle cry as he slowly gained altitude, pulling the giant out of the water. He had green spiky hair and large, bloodshot eyes. He wore the bottom to a Saiyan uniform, signifying his allegiance with Kuuzer. His upper body was exposed and riddled with shark bites and scars from previous fights."Kyokotsu," Zoro said.

"You know him?" Luffy asked.

"I cut him down." Zoro stabbed Kyokotsu's hand again.

Kyokotsu looked up, eyes wide with fear. "The Zoro that killed me in the world of the living was different from you! Who are you?"

"Who else would it be?" Zoro said.

"Fire!" Luffy shouted, followed by the boom of sixteen cannonballs impaling Kyokotsu in the chest. Kyokotsu roared in rage and swung his free hand at Luffy and Zoro, but with no avail.

"Reload!" Delvin ordered.

"Fire!" Luffy shouted again, sending another array of cannonballs into Kyokotsu.

Kyokotsu yanked his arms down, flinging Zoro back onto the ship. He splashed into the water, drenching the crew on the ship. "Get off!" Kyokotsu shouted, waving Luffy wildly through the air.

"Fire!" Luffy ordered.

Kyokotsu raised his Luffy-covered arm in defense. Luffy quickly retracted his arms and leaped into the air, dodging cannonballs and landing on the ship. "Bring up more cannonballs!" Luffy said, cocking both fists back. "Gum Gum Gatling!" he exclaimed, barraging Kyokotsu with an onslaught of giant fists, hitting all thirty-two cannonballs lodged in his torso.

"All loaded, captain!" Delvin said.

"Fire!" Luffy ordered, knocking Kyokotsu down with a final spray of ammo. He did not get back up.

"Is he dead for sure?" Wu-Shei asked.

"Yeah," Zoro said. "He's the weakest of the seven."

"How do you know this?" Luffy asked.

"He and the other six members of his group were often requests of my bounty hunting services," Zoro recalled. "I cut them down and threw their remains into the ocean, at request of my client of course."

"Why are they here?"

"Who knows? Let's just find the dragonball and get back to Earth," Zoro said.

"A hole has opened in the bottom of the ship," Wu-Shei said, "it would be best if we docked on the upcoming sands to the starboard side." His compass changed direction. "It's pointing us to the town nearby."

"Which would be what?" Delvin asked.

"The deadest settlement in all of Arulok, Falkreath." Wu-Shei said.

"Some weird ambassador's been going down there, talking to everyone, making them join sides with the Stormcloaks," Delvin said. "That's what I've heard at least."

The sinking ship jolted everyone forward as it hit the sand covered in gray mushy snow. "We'll be back soon," Luffy said. Luffy and Zoro headed toward the quiet settlement. The plant-life wilted, the sky was gray, and the buildings were stone and gray and drooped down, like gravity was trying its hardest to crush their sad-faced, depressing design.

Splotches of red blood created a trail on the ground, leading to a wounded Gray Fullbuster. "Luffy!" he called out, holding his shirt to a deep gash in his side. "Aang's over there! Help him before he gets hurt too!" He groaned in pain.

"Gray!" Luffy knelt down next to now another wounded friend of his.

"I'll be fine, Luffy, just-" the gash burned, emanating an orange glow from the center of it. Gray writhed in pain.

Luffy pounded his fists in anger. "I'll make sure you'll be okay."

Gray shakily gave him a thumb up before slipping into unconsciousness. Zoro lifted him up and put him across his shoulder. "I'll take him back to the ship then meet you here."

Luffy nodded. He stood up and followed the trail further, greeting Aang and his opponent. Aang and his opponent both looked ragged and worn out, both covered in caked blood and small cuts all around their faces. A Nordic man in armor lay badly wounded on the ground with a sword in his hand. A green aura emanated around his other hand as he slowly healed himself. Luffy sent a fist into Aang's opponent's stomach, knocking the Wolverine-wannabe to the ground. Aang grinned. "Luffy!"

Luffy and Aang stood side by side as their opponent stood up. He grinned evilly and spiked his aura. "A new challenger has come into the fray against Suikotsu, it seems!"

* * *

"J'zargo, I told you to take him to safety!" Tolfdir said, "What are you still doing here? Where is Onmund?"

"J'zargo cast a spell to stop the bleeding," J'zargo said, "Onmund has gone off to find help. He obviously does not care that destruction user will gain your favor. J'zargo knows that Brelyna doesn't care either, but J'zargo does!"

A purple hand shot from a portal, slapping J'zargo across the face. "I _do_ care, J'zargo," Brelyna said.

"I'll take the boy to a safer place," Faralda said. "You will suffer consequences for this, Tolfdir. Your students will lose points toward the master-rank wizard trials."

Tolfdir nodded. "After this, we are going to have a discussion, J'zargo."

Faralda used a telekinesis spell to levitate Zuko. She carried him out of the room.

"Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu exclaimed, throwing a fiery fist at Jakotsu. Jakotsu smirked and dodged.

"So close, yet so far!" Jakotsu mocked. He threw a kick toward Natsu's face.

Natsu leaned to the left and caught Jakotsu's leg. Natsu whipped him around and slammed his face into the ground. "Run that by me again." Natsu flipped into the air and swung his heel down.

Jakotsu rolled back and threw another kick, beaming Natsu in the forehead. Natsu tumbled to the ground but quickly regained his feet, spiking his aura to charge Jakotsu again.

"Let J'zargo, the best student on campus, take care of this, destruction wizard." J'zargo extended his arm as if to grab something.

"Little kitty wants to play?" Jakotsu said in a light, mocking manner. "I'll take the boy's scarf, your fluffy tail, the girl's hair, and the old man's left hand!"

"Do you get a thrill out of this?" Brelyna asked, sending several daggers at Jakotsu through a large portal.

"Yes, a wonderful thrill." Jakotsu parried the daggers with his own blade of blades and fazed out, knocking Brelyna to the ground with a sweep kick. He raised his sword, ready to strike the finishing blow. "Now! Scream for me!"


	10. Attack on the Castle

**I own nothing**

A powerful blast of lightning and fire by Natsu and Tolfdir sent Jakotsu's sword flying into the wall. Tolfdir pulled Brelyna to her feet and pushed her out of the way. Tolfdir shot another lightning bolt at Jakotsu. Jakotsu's blade flew to his hand and its numerous blades coiled into a shield, deflecting the lightning. Tolfdir's aura spiked around him. "You want to hurt my students?" A green, glass-like substance formed on his chest and head. "You must get through me first."

Natsu fell into a fighting stance next to the old wizard. "I'm not his student yet, but I owe you a beating from Zuko!"

Natsu fazed out, reappearing behind Jakotsu with his fist blazing. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

Jakotsu's blades shot over his shoulder, letting Natsu's attack hit the flat end of the sword. "Nice try!" Jakotsu whipped around, throwing a kick. Natsu ducked and returned a second fiery fist. Jakotsu leaned to the side and grabbed Natsu's arm, throwing the boy out of the window. The glass shattered as Natsu hit it like a cannonball, disappearing from view.

Brelyna ran and stuck her head out of the window. She saw him rapidly descending toward the rocks five hundred feet below. "Natsu!" She opened a portal at the bottom, letting a large, black, three-fingered hand open to catch him.

Jakotsu dodged dual attacks from Onmund and dodged several projectiles thrown at him from J'zargo's telekinesis. "You're all pitiful dogs! Start whimpering for me!" Jaktsu rolled past Tolfdir's fireball and threw a kick, smashing into Brelyna's spine with his foot and sending her out of the window as well. The portal closed. Natsu flipped around and landed hard on the rocks below.

"Gah!" he exclaimed. "That hurt."

"I might need a little help here!" Brelyna quickly opened a second portal in the ground, summoning the same giant hand to catch her.

Natsu leaped into the air and caught her himself. He burst into the air toward the window. "Let's get back up there."

Brelyna looked over Natsu's shoulder and toward the icy waters surrounding the university's high perch that it stood on. Barely in her sight was a large, stone-carved tablet stuck in the side of one of the numerous mountains concealing the back of the school. Cryptic, ancient Arulokian words were etched all over the tablet and three of the words glowed blue. "What is that?"

Natsu turned his head to look. "What is what-"

A blade from Jakotsu's sword flailed at them. "Here I am!" Jakotsu leaped out of the window and swung his sword, sending all of the blades which connected in a chain to form the blood-stained weapons flying at Natsu and Brelyna.

Natsu's eyes widened. "Sorry about this!" Natsu dropped Brelyna and fazed out, quickly catching all of the blades. He spun around and whipped the blades back at their owner.

"Fool! My blades are mine to control!" Jakotsu smirked as the blades connected to reform his sword. "Prepare to die!"

Natsu barely dodged a slash and returned with a kick to Jakotsu's back. Jakotsu's body slammed the ground. He coughed a trail of blood onto the rocks and ice. Natsu descended, landing directly behind him in a fighting stance. He took very deep breath, filling his lungs with as much air as possible. A warm glow emanated from his chest. "Fire Dragon's-"

"That's not gonna happen, hotshot!" Jakotsu fazed out. He reappeared behind Natsu and slammed him in the back with the flat end of his blade, sending Natsu tumbling across the rocks and ice, slamming into the tablet.

Jakotsu smirked and turned to Brelyna. "My, my, only one left out of seven."

Brelyna summoned two curved, purple blades from her portals to the other worlds. _I needed more time!_  
She took a quick glance upward. Hundreds of portals to a black abyss surrounded the entire rocky area. Red arrowheads poked out from the entrance to the portals, all aimed at Jakotsu. _Let's hope it's enough!_

Jakotsu's eyebrows furrowed. "Seven... minus one... but there's only one left! Seven minus one equals five implying there are two left! Who am I missing?"

"No one," Brelyna said. "Seven minus one equals six-"

"I know!" Jakotsu barked, his face blood red out of embarrassment. "Shut up!"

Brelyna refrained from smirking. _He lost his concentration. I need to use that somehow... _ "You're bad at math!"

"I'm the best at math!" Jakotsu argued.

"Oh yeah?" Brelyna charged toward the elite. "Eight times five!"

"That's easy!" Jakotsu nervously counted on his fingers.

Brelyna swung both swords. Jakotsu looked up and leaned back, wincing in pain as Brelyna's blades cut his cheeks. "Nine times seven!"

"Thirty-six?" Jakotsu thrust his sword forward.

Brelyna barely dodged. _That was close!_ She blocked an overhead strike. "Forty-eight times two!"

Jakotsu temporarily froze as he worked it out in his head. Brelyna's sword cut his stomach, bringing his attention back to the fight. "Stop it! I know what you're doing."

"I'm giving you simple math problems." Brelyna slashed at Jakotsu several times. Jakotsu's blades blocked each strike and cut her forehead in return. "How many blades are on that sword?"

"Fifty." Jakotsu smirked. "What kind of question is that?"

"Are you sure?" Brelyna said, "I'd suggest counting them again."

"It's fifty! I know what I'm talking about!" Jakotsu growled in anger and spiked his aura, knocking Brelyna to the ground. "I've had enough!" He kicked her ribs and sat on her chest, using his knees to pin her arms down to

Brelyna looked toward Natsu and the tablet. Natsu held his head in pain, rolling around on the ground. _What is he doing?!_ The blue glow of the words on the tablet had died and a blue glow swirled around Natsu on its own. Natsu threw himself to his feet and screamed in pain, spitting fire and obscenities into the air. He fell to his knees again and yelled in torment until the blood vessels in his eyes began to burst. She looked back at Jakotsu who had raised his sword, ready to cast the final strike. Brelyna looked past him and up at the hundreds of readied, spectral archers in her portals. "Fire!" she yelled, raining arrows from the sky.

Jakotsu's blades shot upward and fanned out, forming a steel umbrella around their owner. Jakotsu grinned. "Start groveling! Where's the fun when you're not begging for your life?" Jakotsu's blades retracted back into a sword. They poised themselves above Brelyna's head

Brelyna closed her eyes, bracing herself for the fatal blow. _This is it._

"Yol!" Natsu yelled. A wave of immense heat washed over Brelyna. She opened her eyes and gasped at the ghastly sight that sat on top of her. White fire flared on Jakotsu's head and face, burning the skin and melting the bone. "Toor!" Natsu continued, sending another stream of white fire at Jakotsu. His blades did not jump to their dying master's defense. The fire burned through Jakotsu's clothing and through the light armor underneath. "Shul!"

Brelyna pushed Jakotsu off of her and quickly crawled out of the way, watching in awe as Natsu fired a third, more powerful blast of fire. Jakotsu had turned into vapor. Brelyna stood up. "Natsu," she said, "what the hell was that?"

"I don't know," Natsu said, "When I looked up at the tablet, I blacked out. Next thing I know my face hurts like hell and I'm shouting Yol Toor Shul at Jakotsu while breathing fire."

"Well, whatever it was, it worked." Brelyna stood up and brushed herself off. "You can still fly us up there, right?"

"Yeah." Natsu grabbed her hand and flew into the air. They went inside the school. J'zargo and Onmund, both badly wounded, propped Tolfdir up on the wall, using healing spells to close his wounds. Tolfdir grinned as Natsu and Brelyna entered the room. Zuko laid on his stomach, groaning in pain as yellow pus oozed from his wounds. Faralda stood over him, using spells to stop his bleeding. "I thought you were taking him to get proper help."

"Jakotsu's sword was tipped with poison. Even if I'm able to close the wounds, there is still a virulent poison going through his blood stream," Faralda said. "None of the doctors here can extract it, but the doctors in the Royal City have potions which destroy poisons in the body. The Royal City is a long trip on foot from here; we'd never make it in time."

Natsu hefted Zuko in his arms and spiked his aura. "Not gonna make it in time _my ass!_"

"Brelyna, go with him and make sure he comes back alright," Tolfdir said. "He is your fellow student, you know."

Brelyna hopped on Natsu's back. Natsu grunted. "Hey! I didn't say you could do that!"

"You're right. I didn't," Brelyna said. "Let's go."

Natsu ran out of the college building and burst into the air, racing against time toward the Royal City.

* * *

The fight had taken them to another area of the beaches where the ship was docked. The sky had turned dark and gloomy as the evening came upon them. It had started to rain. Zoro surfaced from the lower decks of the ship and hopped off of the ship. "Hey, Luffy! I'm here now! We can-" He stared at the bloodthirsty ambassador who had lasted against his friends since midday. Wu-Shei, Delvin, and the Nordic warrior laid on the ground with cuts and gashes all over their bodies. He licked a trail of blood from his mouth and scraped his six, foot-long blades together. "What's going on with the Avatar and the pirate? One against one isn't fair."

Zoro quickly glanced over at Luffy and Aang who were at least fifteen feet away from them. They stood holding their heads in immense pain next to two glowing tablets carved in the side of two large boulders surrounded by large hills of sand. "Luffy! Aang! Are you guys okay?"

Luffy clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. He grabbed a handful of his hair and started to pull. "Peachy!" he said through grinding teeth.

The ambassador took that moment to charge at Zoro. "You lost your concentration!"

Zoro blocked a slash and fazed out, cutting three wide gashes in the madman's back. The madman let out a maniacal laugh and whipped around, swinging wildly at the trained sword-wielding pirate. "And you'll lose your head!" Zoro blocked a strike with his third sword held in his mouth. He pushed forward and thrust a sword. The stab by Zoro was easily dodged; the ambassador brought three claws across Zoro's face. Zoro winced in pain and hopped back.

"Not so easy, is it?" the ambassador mocked. He walked over to Luffy and Aang. The two young heroes fought back the urge to scream as they felt their throats and the inside of their heads burn with an intense flame. "Perhaps I should finish these two off, it'd fix your concentration."

Zoro hopped in front of his friends with two swords at the madman's throat. The ambassador walked forward, grinning as the blade cut through his throat. Zoro pushed forward, feeling the tip of his blade punch through the other side. He kept an eye on the crazed official's own weapons. He flipped into the air, bringing the blade stuck in his opponent's throat through his chest and out the front of his rib cage. _It's over. _He sheathed his swords and took a sigh of relief.

"Nice try, asswipe!" The ambassador slowly turned around to Zoro's surprise and disbelief. He fell into a fighting stance, seemingly unfazed by the hole in his chest and rib. "Can't you see? I can't be killed! I can't be!"

Zoro readied his swords once again to duel. In the corner of his eye, Luffy and Aang slowly rose to their feet and opened their eyes. A blue aura spiked around them as they both reared their heads back. Luffy grabbed the madman's shoulder. "Fo Krah Nus!" he shouted, coating the ambassador's body in a thick layer of ice.

Delvin lifted his head weakly. "Mother of-"

"Ven Nah Kest!" Aang shouted, summoning a wide tornado from the back of his throat. The cyclone enveloped the frozen madman in furious winds.

Zoro hefted Delvin, Wu-Shei, and Esbern in a pile on his back and dived out of the way of the widening whirlwind. Luffy fell to the ground, barely ducking in time as the frozen madman rocketed over the ship and into the sky like a bat out of hell. A small card with a picture on it poked out from the sand next to Luffy's face. Luffy wiped the sand off the card and looked at the picture. Aang and Gray argued with Natsu and Zuko in Sepharia's palace. Aang and Gray's heads had been cut through. "Hey, Aang! Look at this!"

Wu-Shei and Esbern sat up. "Before we go on," Esbern said, "let's talk about what you two just did."

Luffy looked at the card. "It's us." He examined the cuts in the picture. "The jagged edges on this tear..." He held the picture next to a small cut on his leg left by the ambassador. "The picture belonged to the ambassador guy. Why would he have a picture of us?"

"He's a bounty hunter of some sort," Zoro said. "He was hired to kill you."

"That's what he told us," Esbern said. "Whoever this Kuuzer is, he wants no political competition nor a race to find the Dragonball. That's what you earthlings are here for, right? It only makes sense that he would double the negotiators as assassins. If things get rough, they'll have it their way no matter what. Very dirty competition, indeed."

"Then we gotta give them the competition they want," Zoro said.

"What about Sigrid?" Esbern asked.

"After we're done dealing with Kuuzer," Luffy said, "we'll talk about Sigrid."

"That's not what we're here for, Luffy," Aang said. "Let's just get the Dragonball and get back to Earth."

"They knew we were coming, they have more battleships." Zoro helped Delvin, Wu-Shei, and Esbern to their feet. "If we just play defense they'll just ambush us again as we leave."

"But if we spark a war between Sepharia and Kuuzer we'd be endangering the lives of everyone on Arulok," Aang argued.

"Too late for preventing war, I'm afraid," Esbern said. "Once Ulfric decided to revolt against the empire, war was imminent. Siding with Kuuzer just made tensions worse."

"Besides," Gray slowly walked up the stairs to the upper deck of the ship, looking down at his friends. He held a towel over his wounds. "We interrupted a political campaign and froze the ambassador, then sent him into the sky like a cannonball. It's too late to try peace."

"You saw us do that?" Aang asked.

"You shouted so loud you woke me up," Gray said. "I couldn't help but look."

"We need to get to Sepharia and tell her what happened," Esbern said. "I don't believe Sigrid is going to side with the empire any time soon. He'll know about the disappearance of the ambassador and brand us murderers."

"Delvin, Wu-Shei," Luffy said. "Take the boat and keep looking for the Dragonball. Zoro and I will take Gray and Esbern to Sepharia's palace."

"If you leave us, we can't help you," Delvin smirked.

"By agreeing to the bet before Luffy and I pounded you, you agreed to a verbal contract, Delvin," Zoro said. "And we haven't found the Dragonball."

"Breaking a contract here isn't really looked upon by the guild, Delvin," Wu-Shei said.

Delvin's smirk faded. "Drat." He and Wu-Shei walked up a long wooden ramp to the ship. Gray lifted himself into the air.

Luffy and Aang pushed the ship out into the ocean. Luffy carried Zoro and Aang carried Esbern. "Gray, are you gonna make it to the palace alright?" Aang asked.

"Yeah." Gray floated in the air and spiked his aura. "Let's go."

* * *

"Your palace lays in ruin, your protectors are captured, and your army is clinging onto life by the skin of their teeth, yet you still fight," an eight-foot tall, purple robed, tanned man with greasy black hair said. "The men you scouted ahead have killed them off; Kuuzer's very thorough when he wants to destroy competition and the monarchy."

"Ulfric was killed by one of your own, Sensui!" Sepharia said. Inala stood right next to her mother. "No rebellion will side with you now to overthrow me!"

Sensui casually walked up the steps of the crumbling castle. He hopped over a dead Royal Soldier and a dying soldier of Kuuzer. Iilduun propped himself up against the side of Sepharia's throne. "See," Sensui said, "we don't need Ulfric to overthrow you." He walked up the stairs until he was looking down at the queen. In an instant, he had both of his hands around the queen and princess's throats and raised them into the air. Inala gasped for air as she grabbed Sensui's wrist.

Iilduun shakily rose to his feet.

Sensui grinned. "The old man's come to die as well? You'll need to wait your turn."

"Put them down," Iilduun demanded.

Sensui dropped them and turned to the old man. "And what are you going to do, die on me?"

"I might die, but I'll be damned if my queen does!" Iilduun spat in his face and drew back all of his breath into his lungs.

"You piss me off, Iilduun." Sensui's cool demeanor disappeared as he wiped the spit off of his face. He cocked his fist back and formed a bright, purple aura around it. He let forward his punch.

"Fus Ro Dah!" Iilduun and another voice yelled simultaneously, blasting Sensui through one of the castle walls.

Iilduun collapsed. An orange and blue flash rushed past Sepharia and Inala and out the hole the dual Fus Ro Dah's created. Inala knelt down beside Iilduun and lifted his head up. "Iilduun! Iilduun!" She lightly tapped his cheek a few times.

"Son Goku..." Iilduun's eyes fluttered open. "Fus," he muttered in a raspy voice, like his voice was failing him. "Unrelenting Force... Dovahkiin..." His eyes shut again.

"But Sensui told us Goku and the rest of them had died!" Inala said to her mother, trying to shake Iilduun awake.

Sepharia watched as Sensui's body flailed back into the palace and onto the ground. "He was wrong."

Goku flew into the palace with a weak Lee over his shoulder. "Keep him safe," he said through his new mask. He laid Lee on the ground next to Iilduun.

Sepharia backed away from Goku. "Where did you find that mask?" She saw the white and red katana held in Goku's belt. "And that sword?"

"On some strong ghost guy in front of a tablet," Goku said. Sensui stood up and yelled in rage. He charged at Goku and the queen. "I'll tell you later." He whipped around, planting a roundhouse kick in Sensui's ribs. He crouched down and sprang upward, slamming his fist in Sensui's chin. Sensui bounced off of the ceiling and fell on his chest. Goku fell into a fighting stance. "Get up! This fight just started!"

"Galic Gun: Fire!" Vegeta barked, evaporating Sensui with a purple ray of death as the Saiyan prince flew into the room.

"Vegeta!" Goku said, angry at Vegeta's haste to take someone's life away.

"You don't have time to clown with him, Kakarot, although clowning is all you know how to do." Vegeta led Goku out of the busted down doors to the palace. Royal soldiers clashed with Kuuzer's soldiers throughout the city while it slowly burned. No civilians were spared, as fathers, mothers, and children of all races laid dead in the streets. "Kuuzer wanted us away from the palace so they could do this."

"Where's everyone else?" Goku asked.

"The search parties are still out there. Tien, Chad, and Uryu were captured and taken away with the rest of us in the palace." Vegeta spiked his aura. "Kakarot, as of right now, you, Inuyasha, and I are the only ones left."

"We'd better hold them off until the search parties return then," Goku said. "They're not dead."

Vegeta disappeared into the Royal City, clashing with another robed soldier.

Inuyasha ducked a kicked from a tall, pale, green-haired, robed soldier and countered with a kick to the cheek. A second robed soldier, a short, brown-haired, teenage boy stabbed Inuyasha's shoulder from behind with a dagger, a lot faster than Inuyasha would have liked to admit. Blinding pain seared through his left arm but Inuyasha could not afford to give way to it. He whipped around with Tetsusaiga in hand, slashing at the young soldier's midsection. The young soldier threw two more daggers above Inuyasha's head. "Itsuki!"

The green-haired soldier smirked. "Got it, Kaname! Eight Witches Technique!" Six fists sprouted from his back and grew into spindly, spider-like arms. Green energy ringed around Itsuki's hands as he opened his fists, stopping the daggers in mid-air. He motioned his hands downward, impaling Inuyasha in the back and leg.

Inuyasha grit his teeth. "Got any more of those things?"

"Yeah," Kaname said in a mocking tone. "Want me to show you?"

Inuyasha fazed out, kicking Kaname in the back from behind. "No thanks! I guess it's time to use this: Mid Vur Shaan!" Inuyasha shouted, blowing Kaname and Itsuki away with a large wave of red energy. A blood red aura formed around Inuyasha as his eyes turned completely white from the mystical takeover. "Time to end this!" he growled. Kaname and Itsuki hadn't prepared themselves for Inuyasha's charge. Inuyasha attacked with all of his force at a blinding speed, pummeling and hacking through the two robed elites with an onslaught by sword. He struck strong and speedily, cutting through their armor underneath like it was butter. Inuyasha's red aura slowly faded away as his attacks slowed down. He fell to his knees, panting from exhaustion. Kaname and Itsuki stayed on the ground, perfectly still. "Damn," Inuyasha said, breathing heavily. "That's the third time I used that today." He ripped the daggers out from his body. "That wore me out!"

"Then just lay down and die!" Another robed soldier of Kuuzer said, leading seven regular soldiers to battle the tiring Inuyasha. The leader was tall with short brown hair, wearing an operation mask over his mouth. "I'll have fun dissecting your corpse!" The robed soldier carried two swords with long, blue blades. Inuyasha gathered the rest of his energy and clashed with the soldiers, whom quickly took advantage of Inuyasha's growing fatigue. Inuyasha took every blow to its fullest extent. Before Inuyasha could retaliate, he was on the ground looking straight ahead at a blue blade. "Doctor Minoru Kamiya, at your service. Now lay back and close your eyes, this will all be over-"

Inuyasha kicked upward, nailing the doctor "below the belt". The doctor held back tears. Inuyasha weakly chuckled. "What's wrong? You're looking a bit queasy."

Minoru raised his sword. "I'm really going to enjoy this!"

"Krii Lun Aus!" A purple blast of energy washed over the doctor and his men. The regular soldiers turned to dust. Lines of energy followed the doctor's veins and outlined his heart.

"What the hell did you do?" Minoru raised his sword.

Inuyasha grinned as he looked past Minoru and at his savior. "It's about time you got your ass here, Ichigo. That means Piccolo's here too, right?"

Ichigo nodded and intercepted Minoru's strike, throwing him away from Inuyasha. "Yeah he's here, so is-"

"Noc Plo Kir!" Another friendly voice to Inuyasha yelled nearby. A large, white body of energy grew to a twenty foot tall silhouette of Yusuke and began stomping Kuuzer's soldiers.

"Yusuke and Erza," Ichigo finished. "How about Vegeta?"

"That crazy bastard is still fighting." Inuyasha started to laugh. "You won't believe what happened! He got his ass kicked by a bunch of-"

Ichigo easily parried off several strikes by Minoru and countered with a slash to Minoru's shoulder, following one of the purple lines like it was a guide. Minoru gritted his teeth as blood flew from his shoulder and chest, seeping out of his clothes. Ichigo poised his sword again as Minoru charged toward him, swinging wildly. "By the way," Ichigo asked, "how many people have you killed?"

"You two will be my thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh today!" Minoru cut down with both swords on top of Ichigo's blade.

"Then I guess I won't feel too bad about this!" Ichigo pushed Minoru's blades to the side and swung upward, slicing through Minoru's jugular. Minoru's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he dropped to his knees.

Inuyasha slowly stood up. "Well, Ichigo! I didn't think you would do something like that!"

"When it comes to delivering vengeance," Ichigo said, "I make sure it's exact."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Are you and Vegeta the only ones who came before us?" Ichigo asked.

"No," Inuyasha said. "Goku and Lee came here with Vegeta and me. Lee was hurt pretty badly."

"Damn it," Ichigo cursed. "So that makes seven of us, against what? Six-hundred?"

"It looks like it." A feint yelling could be heard among the already existing chaos in the night. Inuyasha fell to the ground again.

"What did you do that for?" Ichigo asked.

"Didn't you feel that?" Inuyasha said, "That rumble in the ground? It felt like it was headed toward the castle!"

"Barely," Ichigo said, "what do you think it was?"

"Er Nok Tah!" A second rumble in the ground knocked both Ichigo and Inuyasha to the ground. They looked toward the castle, to find a forty foot wall of mud and stone surrounding it.

"Edward?!" Ichigo exclaimed, watching as Edward, Naruto, Trunks, and Kakashi- who still had his hand around Naruto's ankle- flew overhead and into battle.

Naruto's lungs filled with air as he inhaled. "Nin Des Vion!"

Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized the sounds of battle disappeared. He and Inuyasha stood up and looked around. Kuuzer's soldiers dropped to their knees, clamping their hands over their ears and screaming until their faces turned red. Blood slowly began to drip from their nose and ears. Ichigo couldn't even hear the ringing in his ears nor could he hear his own thoughts. Complete, absolute, silence.

Inuyasha turned to him and mouthed, "What's going on?"

Ichigo pointed at Naruto who rapidly descended into battle along side his teacher. Kakashi sliced through a row of charging soldiers and their robed leader, a tall, slender man with slicked back blonde hair and blue eyes. The robed leader stood shocked at Kakashi's speed and efficiency with the Lightning Blade; it was the last thing he saw before sinking into his silent death. Kakashi wiped off the blade. Naruto and Edward confronted a sixth robed elite. His appearance startled Edward. He was extremely tall with brown, spiky hair and a black mask. The elite's soldiers laid in the fetal position on the ground next to a ring of dead Royal soldiers and the civilians they had tried to protect, slowly becoming victims to the silence. Naruto and Edward fazed out, slamming their knees into each of the elite's temples, dropping the tall man to his knees. Naruto slammed a ball of chi into the soldier's face, sending him spiraling back. Erza and Trunks caught the elite and proceeded to beat him savagely until he stopped moving. His chest rose and fell, indicating that he was still alive. Trunks looked at a dead child under a fallen Royal soldier. Trunks grabbed the elite's wrist and whipped him into the air. A large, yellow, sparking ball of energy formed over his head. A slight ping attacked everyone's ears as all sound suddenly returned, causing the entire battlefield to wince as they readjusted to the sounds of bloody war. Trunks growled out of anger as his aura spiked. "Finish Buster!" he shouted, obliterating the elite in a blaze of yellow light.

Another horde of soldiers surrounded the five Earthly warriors. Naruto let out a battle cry and charged toward a line of Kuuzer's men, but was interrupted by a blast of cold, encasing the soldiers in a layer of ice. Naruto looked to the source of the ice. A stretchy fist shot by Naruto's face, taking down a soldier from behind Naruto. The pirate captain grinned. "Miss me?" A blast of white fire and a cyclone of powerful wind followed, devouring the soldiers and the last robed leader. Natsu, Aang, Esbern, and Brelyna dropped into another horde of Kuuzer's soldiers, starting their parts in the ending stage of the battle.

Naruto grinned back, welcoming Luffy and Zoro into the fight.

For the next six hours until dawn, the fight continued vigorously and mercilessly. The fifteen fighters from Earth and their Arulokian friends pushed the attackers to the entrance of the city. The attackers now turned and fled, back to where they came. "Let this be a message!" Goku yelled behind them. "Tell your leader that we're not afraid to fight back!"

"We'd better get back to the palace and check on the queen and princess," Aang said, leading his friends into the castle.

Sepharia sighed in relief. "All of you came back alright."

"But over half of us have been taken by Kuuzer," Inala said. "It would be in our best interest to postpone the search for the Dragonball until all of Nick Fury's team from Earth has been found."

"I agree," Erza said. "I'm not leaving Arulok without my friends."

"We should split up," Luffy suggested. "Some of us stay here, some of us search for our friends, and the rest look for the Dragonball."

"I'm behind you with that, Luffy," Zoro said.

"That worked well," Natsu said sarcastically.

"It's the reason why Katara was taken and why Zoro, Gray, and Lee are hurt so badly," Aang said.

"We stick together," Edward argued.

"Quiet!" Iilduun shouted, "quiet..." His eyes slowly opened. "Those who shout, please listen."

"Those who shout?" Piccolo said, "What does he mean?"

"I think he's referring to us who absorbed the power from the tablets," Aang said, walking up toward the throne. He knelt down next to Iilduun. Goku, Naruto, Ichigo, and the other five who shouted their enemies to defeat surrounded Iilduun.

"To the south, you will find the Throat of World..." Iilduun said weakly, "Shout to the sky and they will show you to what your destiny will lead you to..." he said, trailing off. His eyes fluttered open and closed. "...and Acnologia," he whispered, taking his last breath of life.

Tears swelled to Inala's eyes. "Iilduun!" she exclaimed, crying over his body. She brushed her hand across the wound that took the elder's life. "No!" She pounded on his chest. "No! Get up! Get up!"

Erza ran to console the princess.

"What did Iilduun say?" Sepharia said, second-guessing her hearing. "The Throat of the World? Only one has ever returned from the trip up!"

"He told us to use our shout attacks at the sky, and the path would open to us," Aang said.

"Before that," Ichigo said, "what is the Throat of the World?"

"Surely some of you saw it on the way here," Sepharia said. "North of the city of Whiterun, a mountain shrouded in mist reaches above the clouds. A monastery, home to four, very powerful masters, sits on top of the mountain. Not only can they show you where your friends are, but they can help you master your new shouts." Sepharia looked dolefully at Iilduun. "Go now," she said. "Leave me. I need some time to grieve."

"I know where the mountain is," Goku said.

"Brelyna," Natsu said. "Use your healing magic on Zuko, Lee, and any injured soldiers here."

"What about me?" Gray yelled.

"Aw, does wittle Gway feel negwected?" Natsu mocked, pouting his lips.

Gray growled out of annoyance.

"You help too, Esbern," Luffy said.

"Then that just leaves fifteen of us," Piccolo said, taking head count.

"Oh," Goku knelt down by one of Kuuzer's dead soldiers. "Take a scouter, just in case we pass by the Dragonball."

"You?" Vegeta laughed. "Resort to _scouters_? How 'Saiyan' of you."

"The Dragonball's chi signature constantly changes," Goku said. "And," he chuckled nervously, "I forgot to ask Bulma if she could build another Dragon Radar."

A collective groan made Goku shrink.

Yusuke's face twitched. "You mean-"

"We could have had a device to tell us where the goddamn Dragonballs were this whole time?!" Edward shouted.

"Thanks a freaking lot, Goku!" Inuyasha moaned.

"We could have had six already," Luffy said. "_SIX__ out of __SEVEN__._"

"It's too late to start complaining now!" Ichigo cut in, ending the whining. "We're here, and we have scouters, so let's use them!" He fastened a green scouter on to his face. The rest of the team followed suit and followed Goku out of the palace doors.


	11. On the Trail

**I own nothing**

"Can you feel that?" A chill ran up Ichigo's spine as he approached the mountain, the Throat of the World. "What power!"

Goku stopped his friends at the foot of the mountain. Goku squinted toward the peak but could not see it due to the sun rising over it. Goku shivered slightly and he could see his own breath. A thick forest of tall, white trees with blue leaves shrouded in a dense fog hid any existing path of the mountain. "Where does the trail start?" Zoro asked.

"Let's find out." Goku gathered all of the air in his lungs. "Fus Ro Dah!" he shouted, parting the trees. A wide, long, winding path formed, leading all the way up to the top of the mountain. Some of the fog dissipated, not fully gone but enough to where the path and everything around the path was visible to anyone looking in.

Goku was the first to step foot on the path, crunching through thick, compact snow. Goku felt heavier as he fully entered the fog. A feeling of unmatched dread made Goku's spirits drop like something had tied shackles around his soul. Naruto and the others headed into the fog as well. "I feel... heavy all of the sudden." Edward said.

"I can't fly," Ichigo said, straining to lift himself off of the ground.

"Neither can I." Inuyasha turned on his scouter. "I guess we'll just be walking the whole way."

"We need to be ready if any friends of Kuuzer meet us along the way," Kakashi said. "We can't watch for them from in the air while we're on the path, so we should have some plan in case of an ambush."

"I doubt any one of Kuuzer's soldiers would attempt to chase after us through this fog," Edward said. "Even if the fog is thin, we just beat the living daylights out of an entire army of them! They'd be wishing for a death sentence."

"You honestly think anyone wearing Saiyan armor would throw their best men for a coup d'etat?" Vegeta scoffed. "Kakashi, for once, I agree with you."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'for once'?"

"Don't mind him," Trunks said, "he tends to speak before he thinks."

"What the hell do you know about it?" Vegeta said, "You come from some other dimension and think you know everything about me?"

"Way more than you'd ever know," Trunks mumbled under his breath. "Shut up," Piccolo said, ceasing the bickering. "I have a plan." He knelt in the snow and started drawing figures in it with his finger. "There are fifteen of us. If we arrange ourselves in five groups of three in a single-file, eagle formation, we'd be able to respond to any type of ambush from the front, behind, or the sides. If anyone falls along the way, we pick them up and readjust the formation."  
Piccolo pulled his hand away from the snow. "If you don't follow these exact orders, we may all die."

The other mountain hikers to the monastery gathered around Piccolo. "Let's hear it, then," Luffy said.

"The scouts in the front will be the ones able to pick up on any chi signature the fastest and track movements." The Namekian turned to look at Inuyasha. "And smell anyone before they reach us." Piccolo drew Goku, Kakashi, and Inuyasha's faces in the snow, with Goku in the front and Kakashi and Inuyasha on the sides in a triangular formation. "The three of you will be the first to pick up on any traps or any head-on attacks."

"Right, Piccolo!" Goku forced a smile to try and lift everyone's spirits, despite the feelings of doubt and dread he and his friends felt ever since they set foot on the path.

"Next in line will be me, Trunks, and Ichigo. We will direct the movement of the rest of the line with hand signals and sword gestures. Be sure to be able to keep up with us. We need to keep within a distance of the front line or our forces may become divided and we won't be able to expect any attacks." Piccolo drew their faces in the snow.

Erza's eyebrows furrowed. _Darn._

Piccolo continued. "The middle trio will be Naruto and Aang."

Aang and Naruto gave each other a high five. "Cool! Who's the third guy?"

"Vegeta," Piccolo said, slapping the grins off of the two teenagers' faces.

"What's wrong?" Vegeta folded his arms. "You don't look to thrilled."

"You don't say," Naruto grumbled.

"You three are in charge of responding to anything from the back or the front because you three can deliver the quickest attacks and defenses at short and long ranges." Before Vegeta could interrupt again, "Yes, Vegeta, you are in the middle."

_Well, maybe I'll learn that he's a good guy after all._ Aang thought hopefully, but half-knowing the answer in his mind already.

"Vegeta with his quick chi attacks, Naruto with his shadow clones, and Aang's usage of the elements should eliminate any group of attackers fairly quickly," Piccolo said. "Second to last will be Edward, Zoro, and Erza. Even though your attacks are not as quick as the middle three, you can deliver stronger attacks. You will act as the finishing blow if a fight has to come to that. You all have middle range attacks, preventing any group of opponents from breaking up the formation."

Edward nodded. "I guess that leaves Yusuke, Luffy, and Natsu in the back."

"They have the most difficult job. They will be our lookout from behind. They'll be at the same length from the three middle groups as the front line will be and they'll have to watch for anything that moves behind them and behind the other four lines. With their spread attacks, they'll take out the main force of any pursuing squad." Piccolo drew their faces in the snow. "Any questions?"

The front line formed with Goku leading Kakashi and Inuyasha. "We're ready."

Piccolo's line formed. "Then let's move out."

Five sets of eyes watched them form ranks and set out on the trail. "Is it time?" One of them asked.

The ranks disappeared deep into the trail.

"Yes." The leader focused in on Naruto. "Vengeance will be ours today. Hopefully soon, master will give us what we want."

A tall, thin, red-headed girl with brown eyes, wearing a black Saiyan armor and carrying a flute in one hand slowly moved out from a small group of bushes. "How will we go about this, Kimimaro?"

Kimimaro, a lanky, pale-skinned teen with vivid green eyes and shoulder-length white hair. Two scarlet dots were just above the brow ridge on his head. "Tayuya, why is it that you are the only one following my orders?"

The other three members of Kimimaro's group rushed out behind the bushes. "I apologize," An abnormally large adolescent with an orange Mohawk on the top and sides of his head. He glared at Tayuya with his orange eyes. "Tayuya was supposed to give us the signal so we could come out."

"Don't blame it on me, shit-head," Tayuya said in her usual foul-mouthed manner. "Blame Sakon and Ukon. They have two heads."

Sakon, a tall, thin, pale-skinned teenager wearing green lipstick, literally had two heads. Ukon and Sakon were twins, and the only way to tell between them was by the way their bangs swept across their faces. "Shut the hell up, Tayuya-"

"Both of you be quiet," a dark skinned, black-eyed young shinobi snapped. He folded all six of his arms and blew a strand of black, shaggy hair out of his face.

"Thank you, Kidomaru," Kimimaro said. "We're losing valuable time as is. I'll cut them off at the head. You four pursue from behind and close in on the sides. With Shukaku in Kuuzer's hands and Lee incapacitated, we should have no problem with the rest."

Kimimaro fazed out. "Keep up, Jirobo," Tayuya taunted, fazing out with her team members.

Inuyasha's nose wrinkled. "Something's up."

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"I smell blood." Inuyasha growled and held his nose. "And rot. Somewhere nearby."

"Be ready guys," Piccolo warned the three middle lines.

Ichigo turned to him. "But how do you-"

"These ears aren't just to frame my face," Piccolo said bluntly.

Goku closed his eyes. "Four of them are closing in. I'm surprised Yusuke or Luffy hasn't said anything."

"Maybe it's not a threat," Inuyasha said, "maybe they just _really_ needs a bath."

"We need to keep moving," Kakashi said, "if they don't bother us, we won't bother them."

"We should at least check it out," Inuyasha said.

"Goku will be the tie-breaker." Kakashi looked to Goku for an answer.

"If Inuyasha smelled blood we should check it out." Goku's face was stern. "I'm not liking the energy they're giving off." Goku stopped running. The front line came to a stop.

Kakashi's Sharingan flared. "They are trying to surround us."

Piccolo saw the top of Goku's spiky hair and held up his hand, stopping the three middle lines. Yusuke, Luffy, and Natsu spiked their aura as four figures flashed by them.

"They're fast!" Luffy said nervously.

"Quiet!" Yusuke whispered, silently reaching the rest of the group.

"Circle up!" Vegeta ordered, forming an outward circle with the other fourteen warriors.

Silence filled the mountain trail. "They're gone," Kakashi said, looking around at the trees. "And they left us little gifts."

Naruto snatched a strip of paper on a tree. The piece of paper caught fire. "Paper bombs?" Naruto said, pulling one off of another tree. "Who do they think we are?" He put out the fire with a small blanket in his shuriken satchel in his thigh.

Kakashi darted around the trees, finding two more paper bombs. "Simple tricks." He put the remaining bombs in his satchel. "I'll make sure to use these."

"Reform ranks!" Piccolo ordered, arranging everyone back into their lines.

"Everyone, be on full alert," Goku said. "Inuyasha, Kakashi, let's go."

They continued their path to the monastery at the top of the mountain. Ichigo hopped over a tripwire and held up his hand to signal the others. "Whoever these guys are, they want us dead."

"They're not too good at their job," Piccolo said.

"Hey Piccolo," Ichigo said, "do you think Selena made it to the palace okay?"

"Why are you thinking about that now?" Trunks asked.

"Piccolo and I left her at the entrance of Royal City to join the battle last night," Ichigo said. "She was pretty mad."

"I'm sure she's fine," Piccolo said. "She's a vampire. If she's like the vampires that I knew, she's on par with some of us."

"A vampire?" Trunks looked surprised. "Don't you think she might try to bite our friends?"

"Piccolo and I had an agreement with her father," Ichigo said. "We escort his daughter to the palace, he uses his vampires to help us find the Dragonball."

"So I guess we won't be getting help from them," Trunks said. "You didn't escort her to the palace."

Piccolo's eyes widened. He slapped Ichigo in the back of the head. "Hey!" Ichigo exclaimed, "What was that for?!"

"Running into battle before finishing the mission!" Piccolo ducked a wire tied on two trees. He held up his right hand and pointed in the air. The three middle lines ducked.

"Our friends needed help!" Ichigo argued. "You did it too!"

"I was the one who went back to get her, Ichigo," Piccolo said calmly.

Ichigo blew hot air out of his nostrils.

"These guys are moving too fast," Erza said, being careful to disarm the rigged slingshot on the road.

"They are getting sloppy; this is almost too easy." Vegeta looked down. "Jump," he said. Vegeta, Naruto, and Aang hopped over a pressure plate covered in snow.

Trunks' eyes widened. "Naruto!"

Naruto looked down and barely dodged another pressure plate with a handstand. "Watch your step!" Vegeta barked, "You could have blown us all to pieces!"

"That was clever," Edward said, taking a quick glance back at the second pressure plate.

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked.

"They found the average length at which someone jumping with a running start could achieve when avoiding the first plate," Edward said. "Once we pass this average, they calculate the extreme measure, the second plate."

"A trap within a trap," Erza said. "All of their other traps were quick and dirty as if they are trying to move faster than us, but not this one."

The front line came to a halt. "Their movements have slowed down," Kakashi said.

"Maybe one of them got injured," Goku said.

"Well let's find out." Kakashi's Sharingan flared. Through his eyes, anything moving was in slow-motion with a bright red outline. The four mysterious assassins had stopped fanning out and started to move closer toward the lines. "I see them!"

"Get ready!" Piccolo ordered the three middle lines. Ichigo and Trunks held up their swords, signaling the back line to prepare for a fight.

"It's about time," Natsu said. "I've been dying to show you guys my new techniques."

"I doubt they're any better than my new ones!" Yusuke said.

"Guys, please," Luffy patted them both on the back. "We all know my moves are gonna be the coolest."

The five lines came to a second stop. "When they close in, we push outward and isolate them. We can't all group against one guy because it's not just one guy," Trunks said, preparing his blade to strike.

Four kunai with three paper bombs attached to each kunai flew from the trees. "Run!" Naruto yelled, hurrying all five lines faster up the trail. The white, blinding explosion sent Yusuke, Natsu, and Luffy tumbling to the ground. The four mysterious assassins, the rest of Kimimaro's group of elites, stepped onto the trail and in front of the front line.

"What did you guys do that for?" Goku asked, annoyed at the ringing in his ears that would not go away thanks to the explosion.

"Just to kill the rats interfering with Lord Kuuzer's plans," Sakon smirked.

"So I guess you're not here to talk, right?" Inuyasha fell into stance.

"We can talk this out," Piccolo said. "It is for their benefit too."

Naruto gasped. "No way!"

"You know them?" Natsu asked.

"They took Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed. "A couple of friends and I chased them throughout the forest, surrounded them at the Valley of End, and took them out. Then, Sasuke attacked and defeated us. Well, he and I tied. I've been looking for him ever since."

"We've really gotta sit down and talk about Sasuke," Yusuke said. "You obsess over him way too much. Besides, we all kicked his ass."

"It was a promise I made to Sakura," Naruto said. "To bring Sasuke back to the Leaf village."

Goku tried taking a step forward. Thin wires pulled tighter against his skin, restricting him of movement.

Kidomaru laughed. "I see you like my webbing. The finest strands of the strongest silk; the more you struggle, the more it tightens around your blood vessels. Your heart will stop before you break free. Clever, huh?"

"You know what's also clever?" Electricity hummed under his jacket sleeve. Four small metal wires spun around the Otogakure ninjas' ankles. "Auto-mail arm with new finger tasers."

Jirobo started to lift his ankle.

"You want to piss off seventeen thousand volts?" Edward said. "Thanks for making me look good in front of my friends."

Sakon's smirk grew. "You're welcome. Too bad it won't work on the big guy."

Jirobo preformed a series of hand signs. "Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison!"

"Not gonna work!" Naruto said, watching the earth build around he and his friends. "Edward! Shout!"

"Er Nok Tah!" Edward shouted, expecting the dome to crumble. "Why isn't it falling down?!"

"Bye!" Tayuya taunted before the dome closed around them.

"Fus Ro Dah!" Goku shouted, also to no avail.

"Great," Piccolo fired a wave of chi at the dome and the dome absorbed it.

"What is this?" Yusuke punched the rocks.

"A type of barrier," Ichigo said, "and apparently, we're stuck in it."

"Let us out!" Naruto yelled, throwing balls of chi at the rocks.

"Whining isn't going to help us, Naruto," Aang said, running his hand across the cracks in the rocks.

"Watch your step," Zoro said, "this is obviously another trap within a trap."

"There's no wall that we can't break," Natsu said, throwing fiery fists at the walls of rock and mud.

"I guess we could try that," Erza said in agreement with Natsu, "we have to do something. Right, Trunks?"

"Everyone!" Goku said, "Attack one point of the wall at the same time!" He fell into stance and spiked his aura. "Kamehameha!"

"Galick Gun!" Vegeta yelled.

"Rasengan!" Naruto yelled.

The others fired their signature attacks at the wall, kicking up a large amount of dust. "Did it work?" Luffy asked, coughing in the dust.

"No," Erza said.

"Not even a scratch!" Inuyasha said.

"Then I was right," Zoro said, "this is not just a single trap."

Goku closed his eyes, seeing the energy outlines of his friends slowly draining into the prison. Jirobo's outline stood outside of the prison, slowly growing bigger by the second. He opened his eyes. "Guys!"

"What?" Piccolo said.

"One of the assassins stayed behind. The others are headed up the trail to the monastery, probably to force whoever is up there to tell them where the Dragonball is," Goku said. "The guy outside this prison is absorbing our energy."

Vegeta smirked. "I have to give these guys credit for thoroughness."

"When I get my hands on the guy who did this, I'll beat his head in!" Natsu yelled.

The fifteen earthlings trapped in the dome tried hopelessly to break free.

"Something needs to be done fast," Aang said. His breathing was heavy. "I feel like I competed in the Dark Tournament by myself."

"It was my fault," Edward admitted, "I shouldn't have attacked without knowing the full extent of their power."

"That's it!" Goku stood up and spiked his aura. "I'm gonna go Kaioken and bust us out of here!"

"What do we have to lose?" Inuyasha said, spiking his aura. "Mid Vur Shaan!" Inuyasha shouted. His eyes turned blood red. "Let's go!" he snarled.

"Kaioken!" Goku yelled, surrounding himself with a reddish purple aura. His muscles expanded as all five of his senses heightened.

Goku and Inuyasha charged the walls of the dome and mercilessly bombarded them with the last of their energy. Jirobo smirked, feeling his own energy spike. "Knock yourself out."

Goku and Inuyasha's auras faded. "Damn it!" Inuuasha cursed.

The holes Goku and Inuyasha left in the rocks quickly repaired themselves. "Every single time we hit it, the rock fixes itself." Goku fell to the ground, breathing rapidly.

Kakashi and Piccolo analyzed the holes. "There has to be an imperfection somewhere," Kakashi said.

Luffy fell into stance and tried spiking his aura. "No use!" He fell to his knees.

"I didn't want it to come to this," Vegeta said. "Hey!" he yelled. "Guy keeping us inside the trap!"

"Here it comes," Jirobo chuckled. "Go ahead and start pleading."

"You let me go, I help you find the Dragonball!" Vegeta could already feel the sense of betrayal from his teammates.

"I've never let a prisoner go and I'm not about to start now."

"Fine, just let me go," Vegeta said. "Leave everyone else."

Jirobo laughed. "So much for teamwork."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Yusuke threw a punch at Vegeta's face. Vegeta dodged and sent a powerful knee strike into the fatigued teenager's stomach.

"You're fighting each other now?" Jirobo laughed even more. "What a bunch of weaklings!"

"Please!" Vegeta pleaded. "I know your type! I know how to find the Dragonball faster than anyone here could!" he said.

Natsu, Luffy, and Naruto charged at the Saiyan Prince.

"What a convincing lie!" Jirobo said. "A man's true colors really show when he is pushed to his limit, but you are no man at all, certainly not a prince of any sort."

"Just let me out!" Vegeta barked. Zoro charged at him as well, beating him all over his body.

"You actually think I'd let you out?" Jirobo said. "You deserve to die!"

"Guys!" Ichigo, Trunks, and Aang intercepted attacks from Luffy, Zoro and Natsu, knocking them away from Vegeta. "Stop fighting! This isn't gonna help us!"

"You guys just want in with Vegeta!" Luffy said, throwing a punch. Aang fired a gust of wind at Luffy, knocking him into the wall.

The heroes began fighting each other, feeding more energy to Jirobo. Goku's patience wore thin. "Shut up!" he barked, silencing the entire prison. "Fighting each other won't help, and neither will attacking the wall with energy. Our only hope is to punch our way through using brute force."

"But thanks to this jutsu," Naruto said, "we don't have any."

Vegeta's eyes widened. _I got it!_ "Kakarot, Kakashi, direct your chi tracking to the wall directly behind you."

"Don't listen to the bastard!" Yusuke shouted.

Goku and Kakashi listened anyway, knowing what Vegeta was really planning. Vegeta charged toward the wall and punched as many holes as he could into it.

Luffy smirked. "Vegeta, that won't work-"

"Stop, Vegeta!" Kakashi said.

"You found it?" Vegeta asked.

Kakashi nodded. "Find what?" Naruto whined. Kakashi stuck a kunai in the hole that he spotted.

"What'd you do that for?" Zoro asked.

Vegeta smirked. "While you guys hit the walls, I decided to watch how fast the holes closed. I noticed some closed slower than others, primarily on the side opposite to the guy who trapped us in here."

"Yeah!" Ichigo exclaimed. "The holes indicated a weakness in the barrier," he whispered, so Jirobo wouldn't hear. "You said all that so you'd have more time to think."

"Wow, Kakarot, you managed to get a smart student," Vegeta said. "Now, with the last of my energy, I get us out of here!" A purple ball of energy started to form on Vegeta's palm. He aimed at the kunai knife. "Galick Gun: Fire!" he yelled, blasting a hole through the rocks.

"What the hell?" Jirobo exclaimed.

Goku felt his chi returning. "Nice job, Vegeta!"

"You're welcome," he said in his sarcastic tone. Vegeta followed Goku and the others out of the prison jutsu.

"No way!" Jirobo said, running to the other side of the prison. "There is no way in hell you could have done that!"

"Well," Vegeta said, "it's not our fault that you are an idiot."

"What did you call me?" Jirobo yelled.

"Did I stutter?" Vegeta said.

"I'm gonna have a fun time killing you!" Jirobo said.

Vegeta laughed. "I'd like to see you land a fist in my air space."

Jirobo calmed himself. "That was a pretty crafty maneuver." Jirobo grinned evilly. "It won't change the fact that you're all dead.

Naruto and Inuyasha charged at him. "Alright, It's time for you to get beaten down!"

"Naruto, Inuyasha, stop!" Yusuke said. "Don't take him head-on. It's what he wants."

"How tough can this guy be?" Natsu and Luffy charged him anyway. Jirobo blocked Luffy's kick and returned a powerful punch to his face. Luffy felt his teeth crunch as they made contact with each other. _"Holy crap!" _he thought as he slammed into a tree. Jirobo agilely dodged a flurry of attacks from Natsu and kicked him in the chest. Natsu tumbled to the ground.

Naruto and Yusuke spiked their auras and charged. "Crushing knee!" Jirobo exclaimed, hopping into the air and slamming his knee on Naruto's chin. "Hammer kick!" He whipped around, landing a roundhouse kick on Yusuke's cheek. He started to prepare a jutsu.

"Watch out!" Ichigo said. "This guy is just getting warmed up!"

Jirobo finished his hand signs. "Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison!"

"Not this time!" Goku grabbed everyone by their hair or clothing and used Instantaneous Transmission. They appeared at the start of the trail.

"Hey! We had him!" Natsu whined.

"You'd get yourself trapped again," Ichigo said. "Yeah, you had him."

"Why didn't you use your teleportation technique before?" Naruto asked.

"Our particles would have clashed with powerful energy," Edward said. "Depending on what type of radiation was used in the barrier, we would have come out missing a few chromosomes. This would carry on in our offspring, and the traits would pass down from generation to generation. Let me draw a Punnet Square to show you what I-"

"We're running out of time," Piccolo said. "The only way to make it up there before these assassins do and find our friends and the Dragonball is if we split up."

"What'd be the point in that?" Luffy asked.

"He's right," Goku said. "If we all take him on at once, he could just put us in another prison."

"And with every second that passes," Kakashi said. "They get closer to the monastery."

Piccolo nodded. "Kakashi, you lead the second team up to the monastery. My team will fight this guy."

A large boulder blasted through the trees. Jirobo stepped out. "Stop running and fight!"

"Vegeta," Piccolo said. "Your line and my line fight him. The others go ahead."

"Very well," Vegeta spiked his aura. "Don't expect to get many hits in."

"You guys think you can handle this?" Jirobo pounded his fists together.

"Definitely," Naruto assured him.

Jirobo fazed out, reappearing behind the group. "Try this on for size!" He dug his hands into the ground and started to pull. A giant ball of rock and mud was lifted above his head, knocking down trees on the sides of the path due to its large width.

"So I guess you lift?" Ichigo asked, half laughing.

Jirobo whipped the rock at the group. Goku rushed in front of them and caught the boulder. "You're not the only one who is super strong!" he yelled, whipping it into the air.

Jirobo fazed out again. "Where did he go?" Erza said, frantically looking around.

Jirobo caught Luffy in a choke hold. "What's the matter?" Jirobo said, "You look a little pale!"

Zoro let out a battle cry and charged. "Get your hands off my captain!" Zoro cut Jirobo's forehead and arm. Jirobo yelped in pain and let go. Zoro swung his swords again. Jirobo fazed out and reappeared behind Natsu. He grabbed the wizard's ankle and slammed his body on the ground. Erza kicked Jirobo in the face.

"You face me now!" Erza said, charging at the large shinobi.

"I don't try to fight girls," Jirobo taunted. "They usually end up dying quickly like flies." Jirobo charged at Edward. "Nor do I like to fight short people!" He caught Edward by the throat and raised him into the air. "Die, shrimp!"

"No! Stop!" Yusuke said. "You called Edward short! Do you have a death wish?!"

Edward's eyes widened. "What did you just call me?!" His aura spiked. He dug his nails into Jirobo's arm. "Can a short shrimp do this?" In a flash, Jirobo was on the ground with Edward's heel in his face. He turned to his friends, still digging his heel into Jirobo's face. "I got this. The rest of you go ahead."

"Sorry Ed," Zoro said, "I'm not letting you beat this guy alone."

"Neither will I," Erza said.

"The other three assassins will be stronger than this one," Zoro said.

His friends, especially Luffy, were reluctant to leave him behind. "Go!" Edward said. "We'll catch up!" They still stood with them. "Damn it!" Edward yelled. "We'll never find the Dragonball or our friends with you still standing here! Get out of here!"

Piccolo nodded. "Don't reform the lines! We need to hurry!"

"This is ridiculous!" Jirobo said. "I'm gonna take you out all at once!"

"Doubt it!" Edward said, kicking Jirobo in the chin. He turned to his friends one last time. "I can still see you! Run faster!"

Zoro and Erza clashed with Jirobo. Natsu, Luffy, and Goku looked back at their three friends staying behind. "Good luck!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Zoro said, taking a kick from Jirobo to his cheek. "Good luck to you too! Get out!"

Led by Goku, Kakashi, and Inuyasha, what was left of Nick Fury's team from Earth quickly set back out on the trail.


	12. Assassin

**I own nothing**

"We're gonna have to fight harder," Inuyasha said.

"Be on your guard at all times!" Piccolo said, "If we blunder into a trap we push through!"

"Do you really think Edward, Erza, and Zoro can take that guy on alone?" Aang asked.

"They have to," Yusuke said. "It's the only way we'll be able to reach the top of this mountain before the assassins."

"I think the three of them can handle that freak no problem," Natsu said, "Erza could do it alone."

"It's not Erza I would lean on in this case," Goku said. "It's Edward."

"The short one?" Vegeta said, hearing Edward's shouts of rage and obscenities in the distance.

Goku nodded. "At the Dark Tournament, the angrier he became, the stronger he became. He was still able to execute precise attacks while creating strategies in his head. He's a really powerful fighter now."

"But will he be strong enough to carry the others?" Luffy said.

"Let's hope he will be," Kakashi said.

* * *

Edward sent an automail kick into Jirobo's face and Erza followed with a punch to his gut. Jirobo tumbled to the ground and rolled into a tree. "How did you like that, fat bastard!" Edward said.

Jirobo chuckled and climbed to his feet. "You're serious now?" His aura spiked. "Now we can really begin."

"Actually," Zoro said. "I'm thinking about ending it."

"My thoughts exactly!" Erza's aura spiked. "Requip: Heaven's Wheel!" she exclaimed. Her armor started to glow bright yellow and change into a suit of silver metal. The upper part of her armor only consisted of a small breastplate of feather-shaped, steel plates with a large metal flower that extends along her hips. Her waist was circled by large, steel, decorated plates molded into shapes of feathers that spiraled down, forming a skirt of steel. Two silver swords appeared in her gauntlets. "Circle Sword!" She threw her swords into the air and closed her fists, using telekinesis to spin both blades in a circle above her head. "Dance, my blades." The two swords spun toward Jirobo on their own.

"Earth Style: Terra Shield!" Jirobo exclaimed. Three walls made out of rock rose from the ground and created a triangle around him.

"Fool!" Erza exclaimed. "That won't stop us!"

Erza's blades slashed through the walls. Zoro and Edward punched through the stone. "What the hell are you people?" Jirobo exclaimed. Jirobo crossed his arms, gritting his teeth as the blades impaled his wrist and forearm. The blades stuck out like a harpoon in a whale.

Zoro and Edward attacked from behind, cutting Jirobo up and down his back and legs. "Now for the finish!" Edward exclaimed, bringing his blade down on the back of Jirobo's head. Jirobo fell to the ground, laying still like a stone. "Did we do it?" Edward asked, panting from exhaustion.

Jirobo's body twitched. "Not yet," Zoro said.

* * *

"Inuyasha, ever since we left Edward and the others you've been acting paranoid," Kakashi said. "What's wrong?"

"I can estimate how strong an enemy is by smelling them," Inuyasha said.

"And?" Vegeta said.

"I'm worried that Edward and the others won't be able to fight that guy by themselves," Inuyasha said. "Even if Edward is going to carry the other two, you saw what that assassin did to us. I feel like more of us should have stayed."

"As of now, the chances of defeat or victory of our friends is unknown," Ichigo said. "We don't know what that guy is entirely capable of-" He remembered what Naruto said. "Naruto, you fought these guys before, what do you think our chances are?"

"They've become a lot stronger in the last few years," Naruto said. "I'm sure Edward and the others will beat him."

"I wish I could be that optimistic," Trunks said. "We don't know how strong the opponent is."

"I bet you," Natsu said. "Edward and Erza will take him down!"

"And Zoro," Luffy added.

* * *

Black markings in the shape of arrowheads covered Jirobo's body. Jirobo grinned and stood on his feet. "Looks like you guys were getting carried away!"

Zoro swung at him. Jirobo dodged and sent palm strike to Zoro's chest. "Shattering Palm!" he exclaimed, accelerating Zoro's body through a line of trees. Zoro felt his sternum crack and his ribs ache with a fiery passion.

"You know," Jirobo said. "There's always that person on every team who is dead weight and someone to shift his teammates problem onto himself. When thick comes to thin, he gets cast aside like the worthless pawn in this game! That's who you are! The captain's dog, the guild's slave, and the robotic freak with a chip on his shoulder."

Edward remembered all of the times in the Dark Tournament he had let his friends down, specifically in the fight against Vegeta. He also remembered the failed alchemy transmutation that took Alphonse's body away. "Take that back!" Edward snarled. Edward threw a kick at Jirobo's stomach.

Jirobo blocked it with his knee and returned his own, knocking Edward to the ground. He charged at Erza, driving her back with a furious combination of punches and kicks. "Looks like I hit it right on the nose, then? The only reason why you guys are on this team is because we killed everyone else!" He kicked Erza in the stomach. The wizard dropped to the ground, holding her stomach in pain. "This was too quick," Jirobo said. "As expected from the bottom of the barrel."

* * *

"I've determined the worse-case scenario," Aang said. "We'd all be fighting three against one battles, and seeing as the assassin back there is the weakest, I only wonder how strong these others will be."

"If we're not ready to risk our lives for our friends," Goku said, "then we might as well go home."

"But if we die in the process, we fail our friends," Aang said.

"Aang," Yusuke said, "I don't think any of us are planning on dying."

* * *

Jirobo knocked Edward and Erza aside, concentrating on Zoro. "Come here you green-haired asswipe!" he exclaimed, smashing his fist into Zoro's chest again. Zoro winced in pain and hopped back. He dodged a powerful punch and countered with a kick to Jirobo's face. Jirobo stumbled back, allowing Erza to cut Jirobo across the back with her twin silver swords. Jirobo grinned, taking a electric punch to the stomach from Edward. "You guys are strong!" He blocked Zoro's slash and kicked him in the cheek. Zoro spiraled to the ground. "But not strong enough!" He fazed out and slammed his knee into Edward's kidneys. Edward yelped in pain and fell to the ground. Jirobo whipped around in a circle, knocking Erza to the ground with a backhand.

Edward stood up and put his hands together, creating a blue aura around him. "Coming from the guy about to get beat!" A giant stone fist formed from the rock and flew at Jirobo.

Jirobo fazed out again. "You're kidding me, piece of trash!" With a swift uppercut, Edward was sent airborne. A long trail of blood shot from his nose as Edward's teeth gritted together.

Zoro charged from Jirobo's side and nailed the large ninja with a roundhouse kick to the nose. Erza saw Edward fly higher and higher into the air, spiking his aura as he ascended. Erza smirked. "Smart kid." She turned to Jirobo and joined Zoro against him. "Circle Sword!" she exclaimed again, summoning two more silver blades to spin above her head. "Dance, my blades!"

The blades spun rapidly like the propellers on an airplane, charging at Jirobo. Jirobo's eyebrows furrowed. He crossed his arms, blocking a triple sword strike by Zoro. He kicked Zoro in the chest and leaned back, taking an inside sigh of relief as the blades spiraled past his head. "Earth Style: Tremor's Fist!" He fazed out again, reappearing behind Erza.

"Look out, Erza!" Zoro warned.

Erza ducked, dodging Jirobo's Tai-jutsu just in time. She whipped around, cutting a gash into Jirobo's stomach. Jirobo chuckled. "That tickles." He sent a knee strike into Erza's chin.

Erza fell to the ground and looked up, watching Edward form a large wave of green energy in his hands. _Please hurry, Edward!_

She rolled to her feet. She and Jirobo clashed, one another pushing back with all of their might but to no avail. Jirobo grit his teeth. _She's really strong!_

Erza thought the same thing about him. _This guy is really strong!_

Zoro let out a battle cry and charged. He kicked Jirobo in the ribs, breaking the clash. Jirobo spiraled uncontrollably and fell on his back. He looked up and his eyes widened. Edward smirked. "Here's a little something I learned back in the Dark Tournament: Gamma Ray!" he exclaimed, blasting a wave of pure gamma radiation at Jirobo.

Jirobo scrambled to his feet and dug them into the ground. He pushed his arms forward, yelling in pain as Edward's attack hit his palms. "What kind of guys are you?"

"What do you mean?" Zoro said.

"I need to go to my second level!" Jirobo's aura spiked, sending a shockwave to knock Erza and Zoro off of their feet. His muscles and veins bulged as a black aura spiked all around him. His eyes lost their pupils and darkened completely to black with golden rings in the center. His skin steamed and turned brick red. His orange hair became longer and unruly, creating a giant mess of hair on his head. Boils and warts dotted his red, hot skin.

"Damn it," Zoro cursed, trying to ignore the extreme pain in his chest. "I hoped this wouldn't become any more interesting."

Jirobo let out a battle cry and pushed back on Edward's attack. "I will destroy you!" he cried, pushing Edward's Gamma Ray aside. The Gamma Ray made contact with the ground, rocking the mountain. Jirobo burst into the air and cocked his palm back.

"The guy can fly now." Edward crossed his arms. "Freaking terrific."

"Rising Impact Palm!" Jirobo exclaimed, smashing his palm into Edward's arms.

Edward spun higher into the air uncontrollably. Jirobo fazed out, reappearing above the boy. He smashed his heel into Edward's spine, smashing his body to the ground. Edward hopped to his feet. "What kind of form is that?"

Jirobo parried a kick from Zoro and slammed his palm into Zoro's chest again. Zoro crashed through the trees, coughing up blood as he went along. Jirobo laughed and fazed out, kicking Zoro in the chin. "In my second state," he said, wrenching Zoro over his knee. "I am ten times as strong as I was before!" He grabbed Zoro by the heels and smacked his face onto the cold, hard ground. "I'm invincible!"

Zoro rolled onto his back and kicked Jirobo in the chest. Jirobo's eyes widened at the force Zoro put out that caused his unintentional travel back onto the trail. Zoro readied two of his swords and fell into stance. "Run that by me again."

"Sure!" Jirobo charged at him with amazing speed, hitting him in the chest before anyone could react. Jirobo grabbed Zoro by the face. "Time to lose!"

Zoro thrust both his swords through Jirobo's stomach. "Go down, damn you!"

Jirobo just grinned and threw him to the ground. He pulled Zoro's blades from his stomach. "Have your toothpicks back, trash." He reached down and gripped Zoro by the throat. "It was generous of me to just give you your swords like that," he said, ignoring Erza and Edward's attacks on his back. "I think I'll take the rest of your energy as payment." A small amount of blue energy leaked from Zoro's throat and into Jirobo's arm.

"Damn it," Zoro cursed, before slipping into unconsciousness.

Jirobo threw him to the ground. "Once I kill these other two, I'll make sure you join them." He turned to Edward and Erza. "I'll also make sure to kill the cruel, sleazy bastards who used you three as sacrifices!"

"Stand still and turn around," Edward said, spiking his aura. "I'm about to shove my foot up your overweight ass!"

* * *

Kakashi carved a letter "K" into a fallen log on the path. "What is that for?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's a way to let Erza and the others know that we are on the move and to catch up," Kakashi said.

"Then let's not linger," Vegeta said.

"Let's get to the monastery before Edward has a chance to!" Luffy said.

"Let's not be too hasty," Ichigo said, "If the other three guys are as strong as I think they are, we're gonna need all the people we can."

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" Natsu teased. "Are you afraid of getting beaten by that girl?"

"No," Ichigo said, trying to ignore Natsu's taunt. "I'm afraid of you crying like a little girl when she hits you."

Natsu growled in annoyance. "You wanna go?"

"To the monastery?" Ichigo smirked. "Yeah, I do."

"Then let's get going," Piccolo said, starting on the path again.

* * *

Tayuya, Kidomaru, and Sakon made sure not to fall victim to their own traps. Kidomaru tied his webs between the trees, creating a maze of webs to get through. "Jirobo's late again," Kidomaru said.

"He's probably squeezing out all the energy he can from them," Tayuya said. "You know how he gets."

"I wish he had switched with me already," Sakon said. "I would have been back here by now."

"Yeah, yeah," Tayuya said, "all hail the great and powerful Sakon and Ukon."

"Finally," Sakon smirked. "Somebody has their priorities straight."

"That was sarcasm," Kidomaru said.

"No shit," Sakon said.

"Let's just hurry to the monastery and force these hermits to tell us where the Dragonball is," Kidomaru said. "I doubt anyone will be coming after us."

* * *

Jirobo threw Edward and Erza to the ground and cracked his knuckles. He stepped on Edward's forehead and began to push. "If I stay here, I won't catch up," Jirobo said. "It's about time I put an end to all of this. How unfortunate."

_Will I have the energy to fire one last large attack?_ Edward thought to himself. _No, he'd most likely parry it and finish me off for good. I'd have to get Erza to distract him somehow so I'd have time to gather my energy..._ Edward's eyes widened. _That's it! As long as she stays in that armor, this should take him out for sure!_ He closed his eyes, using Goku's telepathy technique to tell his plan to Erza.

Erza weakly turned her head to him. _You think it will work?_

_I'm sure of it._ Edward thought.

Edward and Erza slowly climbed to their feet."Hmph. Losers make the last stand, eh?" Jirobo charged. "Let's just put you out of your misery-"

"Solar Flare!" Edward shouted, closing his eyes to avoid the blinding flash. He clapped his hands together, creating a spiking blue aura around he and Erza. "Try this! Stone Warrior!" The rocks molded themselves around Edward and Erza, creating two stone suits with holes for the eyes and for the mouth.

Jirobo opened his eyes and stopped stumbling around. "Now you've really pissed me off, kid!" A red aura formed around Jirobo's fist. "Smashing Strike!" he exclaimed, throwing a powerful punch at the alchemist.

Edward's hand shot out, catching Jirobo's fist. _I'm gonna end up collapsing if we don't do this quickly. _"Welcome to alchemy-enhanced techniques!" Edward smirked. "With this suit, 'invincible' should be no problem for me to take down!" Edward punched Jirobo in the face, grinning as he felt the gratifying crunch of Jirobo's nose breaking. "That one was for me." Edward hopped into the air and hit Jirobo in the cheek with a roundhouse kick. "That's for Erza." He bunched his fists together and brought them down on Jirobo's forehead. "And that's for Zoro." He turned to Erza. "Let's do it."

Edward burst into the air, spiking his aura as he gained altitude. Erza started flying laps around Jirobo faster than the assassin could be sure he could land a hit. "Do what?" Jirobo asked, nervously watching as the ground around him slowly became lower as Erza dug into it with her swords. Jirobo growled. "I don't care anymore!" he exclaimed, throwing random attacks into the air, hoping one would make contact.

Erza kept digging until Jirobo was six feet below where he originally stood. _Come on, Edward! I think he's starting to catch on! _"Circle Sword!" she exclaimed, throwing her blades into the air. "Dance, my blades!"

Jirobo smirked and jumped, watching as the blades spun under his feet. "Not this time!"

"Gamma Ray!" Edward yelled, firing the green wave of radiation at Jirobo.

Jirobo grinned and clashed with the wave, using all of his might to push back. "I've told you before! I'm invincible-" His eyes widened. Silver impaled his heart and lung. _The blades... they came back __around... sly bastards._

Edward let out a battle cry and released his full rage, burning Jirobo's body while slamming him into the six foot hole Erza had dug for him. "Er Nok Tah!" he shouted, summoning a thick, dense layer of mud and rock to harden over Jirobo's dying body. Edward's stone armor fell off of his body and he fell to his knees, panting from exhaustion.

"How did you know it would work?" Erza asked.

"I noticed he only concentrated on one person," Edward said between breaths. "When two or all of us attacked together, we managed to hurt him. That's why he went out of his way to get rid of Zoro."

"Genius," Erza complimented. "I had underestimated you."

"Why is that?" Edward asked, annoyed at his teammate.

"Because you're so..." Erza didn't want to say it, knowing the reaction it would cause. "Let's get Zoro and catch up to the group."

Edward carried Zoro on his back. "So what?"

"Never mind," Erza said, equipping her usual armor again. "Let's go."

"Young?" Edward persisted. "Scrawny?" Edward growled as it dawned on him. "You were about to call me short, weren't you? A short little shrimp?"

Erza shook her head. "Oh, great."

"Could a short little shrimp guy have done that?" Edward yelled. "Could he have fought in the Dark Tournament?"

_Oh my gosh._ Erza thought to herself. _This is gonna be a long walk._

"Hey!" Edward exclaimed. "I heard that!"

Erza slapped him across the face. "Gah! Get out of my head!"

Farther up the path, Goku felt a slight shock and chuckled. "What?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing," Goku said. "Cover your ears."

"Why?" Trunks asked.

"Things are about to get loud in a second," Goku said.

"What do you mean, 'watch out for the trap'" a very annoyed voice barked, growing louder as he came closer. "Is it because I'm _short?_"

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "They won."

"No, no," a female voice said.

A small smile grew on Trunks' face. "Erza," he muttered.

Erza continued. "Edward, I meant that it was potentially dangerous-"

"And you thought I wouldn't be able to handle it!" Edward yelled. "Oh look, I'm Erza, a tall girl, hurr-durr-durr-"

"I don't sound like that!" Erza yelled back.

"I don't sound like that!" Edward mocked in a nasally, whiny tone.

"Erza! Edward!" Natsu called. "Hurry up!"

Erza and Edward started running faster, quickly catching up to their friends. "What are you gonna tell me now?!" Edward said, "Are you gonna tell me to work my little legs faster because _I'm short?_"

Luffy's face filled with anger as Zoro's unconscious body passed by. "Next assassin I see, I'm taking him on myself!"

Erza's hair blew to the side as Edward yelled at the side of her head. "Maybe you should drink more milk."

"I freaking _hate_ milk!" Edward's eye twitched. "You've been talking to Winry, haven't you?!"

Yusuke grabbed Edward's shoulder. "Dude, calm the hell down-"

"Ooh! You thought I wouldn't notice-" Edward slapped Yusuke's hand away. "Get your tall people grubs off of me! You're in on it too?"

Yusuke backed away. "No, I just-"

"That's it!" Edward laughed maniacally. "You- you and the whole lot of you are in on this, aren't you?"

"Edward!" Naruto yelled.

"I knew that packaged meal we ate in space was lined with lactose from vitamin D Wal-Mart brand milk! That's why the food tasted so goddamn creamy delicious!" Edward gasped. "Nick Fury was watching me the whole time! I knew, sooner or later, the goddamn government service would be watching me!" Edward grabbed his hair. "But it doesn't make sense! How would they be able to receive any information that would tip off-" He gasped again. "Alphonse! They put an audio recorder in his helmet! He wasn't going to train, he was telling the freaking NSA and SHIELD my secrets!" He teared up. "My own brother..."

"Calm down!" Piccolo said, "it was a simple suggestion-"

"You hear me NSA? SHIELD?" Edward yelled to the sky. "Screw you! Screw you, the system, and Roy Mustang!"

"What did Roy ever do to you?" Goku asked.

"I just don't like him!" Edward shouted. He hopped in front of the group, pointing to everyone. "I will be watching you! All of you!" He threw his head back and cackled maniacally until it was nothing but a whisper.

The entire group stopped for a collective sweat drop rolling down the side of their heads. "Better?" Vegeta asked.

Edward stepped right in front of the prince and shoved his finger into his face. "I'll be watching you especially, pineapple-head."

"We'll take that as a no, then?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh," Edward cleared his throat and grinned. "I'm fine. Let's get going, no time to waste!"

The heroes continued their journey to the monastery. The sun shone directly overhead the group as they made it another fifth up the trail, showing that it was about noon. "Strange," Kakashi said. "We've gone for quite sometime without encountering any traps."

Goku closed his eyes, seeing the feint energy outlines of the other three assassins. "Probably because we're closing in."

"No," Edward said. "They've gotten cocky. They think we're dead."

"Then our killer is supposed to be catching up," Ichigo said. "They wouldn't set a trap for their own man."

"They underestimated us too quickly," Vegeta scowled. "What a disgrace."

"This can be our chance to take them out," Luffy said. "All at once."

"Then we can't mess this up," Trunks said. "We need to make sure they don't have a chance to fight back."

"What about Zoro?" Edward asked.

"You, Zoro, and Erza take a break," Luffy puffed out his chest. "If anyone's gonna fight another assassin, it's gonna be me!"

"I'm gonna have to disagree," Natsu said. "They hurt Erza."

"At least be thankful that you have a friend with you here," Yusuke said. "I'm smashing my fist into the face of the next man of Kuuzer we find."

"Be stealthy about it," Piccolo said. "We surround them like they did to us." Piccolo fazed out, already taking his position. The others followed suit, slowly closing in on the three assassins.

"Jirobo's awfully late," Sakon said.

"He was, anyway," Kidomaru smirked. "He's here; all the energy he absorbed hasn't been used up. They must have been weaker than I thought."

"Hey, fatass!" Tayuya called, "hurry the hell up."

"Sorry," Piccolo answered from behind the trees, altering his voice to sound like Jirobo's. "It took longer than I thought."

"Don't slow us down again," Sakon said.

"You are supposed to be the tub of lard to get us out of a dicey situation if these monks on the monastery amount to what people say they are," Tayuya said.

"Okay," Piccolo said. "I apologize."

The three assassins looked around for their teammate. "Well, uh," Kidomaru said, "You're pretty easygoing today."

"What of it?" Piccolo asked.

Kidomaru nodded at Tayuya and Sakon. Tayuya and Sakon ran ahead, leaving Kidomaru by himself. "Come out, whoever you are. Jirobo hates it when Tayuya calls him fat and uses foul language."

Natsu, Luffy, and Yusuke slowly raised their aura. Luffy cocked his fist back. "You asked for it!" A stretchy fist shot through the white trees.

Kidomaru's eyes widened as his reflexes made him duck, barely dodging it. He grabbed the attacker's arm and yanked him from his hiding spot. "Well, well," Kidomaru smirked. "Seems like you were the one who got Jirobo."

Luffy smirked. The other heroes appeared from the trees, forming a circle around the six-armed Shinobi. "Where are your friends?" Goku asked.

"Moved on," Kidomaru said. "Even if you kill me, the others would have killed the monks by the time you get up there."

"Not likely," Yusuke said. "Everyone, I'll take this guy. The rest of you go on ahead."

Natsu laughed. "You're joking, right?"

"He must be," Luffy said, "because I'm taking this guy down."

"We'll settle this," Yusuke said. _The more the less likely spider-man over here is gonna get away. _"All three of us will take him and whoever beats him is the winner."

"I like the idea," Kidomaru said.

"I don't like the idea of splitting up again," Edward said, "but it's the only way to get to the top of the mountain before the assassin's do."

Goku didn't want to leave his students behind, but he knew what had to be done. "Fine," he said. "But you guys better catch up."

Goku and his friends left Yusuke, Natsu, and Luffy alone with Kidomaru. Luffy charged. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

"Ninja Art: Spider Web Net!" Kidomaru spat his webs at Luffy.

The webs wrapped around Luffy's arms and legs, rendering him immobile. "Spirit Single Shot!" Yusuke exclaimed, firing a blue ball of spirit energy at the spider-man. Kidomaru shot a strand of glowing web at the ball of energy and it wrapped around. Kidomaru whipped the attack back at Yusuke.

Yusuke deflected it with his palm, sending it sailing into the sky. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu exclaimed, throwing his fiery fist at Kidomaru's face. Kidomaru's two lower arms blocked the attack and countered with a jab to Natsu's gut. Natsu hopped back and spiked his aura, preparing to charge again. "Lucky shot!" Natsu said.

"More than that; look at your hands!" Kidomaru smirked. "You punks don't have anything on this!"

Natsu burned the binding webs on his hands. "We're not gonna be taken down so easily!"

Natsu, Yusuke, and Luffy spiked their auras. "Prepare to get annihilated!"

Kidomaru laughed. "Against you three lousy guys? This is gonna be hilarious!"

Yusuke charged. "Laugh about it in hell for me," Yusuke said, "and tell your fatass partner I said hello!"

* * *

"Where in hell is Jirobo?" Tayuya said, throwing three camouflaged paper bombs on the sides of the trail.

"Maybe we shouldn't have let the weakest member and our escape artist be the one to handle those brats," Sakon said.

"You really think they got him?" Tayuya's face filled with anger.

"It's okay, Tayuya," Sakon said. "When we break it to Kimimaro, hopefully he won't scream at us-"

"But he will!" Tayuya said, "Our chances of ever becoming one of the master's chosen will be shot down!"

"I know," Sakon said. "Let's just hope that he will reconsider demoting us."

"That's freaking hilarious," Tayuya laughed halfheartedly. "And I'll shout the dragons flying around to death."

* * *

"Ninja Art: Human Cocoon!" Kidomaru exclaimed. He spat out a wide layer of webbing all around him, catching his three opponents by their heels.

"Don't you learn?!" Natsu set fire to his hands and ripped through the webs.

Kidomaru hopped into the air and yanked upward, trapping the three teenage titans in a second web under their feet. Kidomaru suspended the web between two trees. Natsu's hands were tied together outside the web and behind his back, rendering them useless. Yusuke gritted his teeth as he tried pulling the threads apart, but finding them stronger than steel. "Don't bother," Kidomaru said. "If two battleships on wheels tried pulling apart, the web wouldn't budge."

"Then we won't pull!" Yusuke said. "Noc Plo Kir!" A large, spiritual manifestation of Yusuke formed outside the web.

"Interesting," Kidomaru said. "I guess you're gonna be more aggravating than I thought!"

**Our heroes are in a sticky situation (pun intended. You better freaking laugh.)! Will Yusuke's spiritual form be able to fend off Kidomaru long enough for our heroes to think of a plan? Find out next time! Read and Review! Please?**


	13. The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

**I own nothing**

"Natsu! Can you get your hands free?" Yusuke asked, trying to wriggle free of the webs.

"No," Natsu said. "This strength is unreal!"

Kidomaru smirked as he dodged a punch from the Noc Plo Kir. "It infuses my energy with the webbing; every single strand is equal to my strength at its maximum!"

_That's insane! _ Luffy thought. He stretched his fingers outside of the web, trying to pull it apart from the outside.

"Guys! Calm down!" Yusuke said. "I have a plan!"

"Spit it out already!" Natsu said.

"I noticed that when spiders would build webs outside in the winter, the webs become brittle and break," Yusuke said. "Then I would burn the web to destroy it."

"What are you suggesting?" Luffy asked.

"There is one hole in the web big enough to stick your head through. If you can stretch your neck far enough to where your head is over the web, you can use your shout to freeze all of the webs."

"But wouldn't I freeze everyone in the process?" Luffy asked.

"Natsu will use his shout as soon as Luffy's shout hits the web," Yusuke said.

"It's a bit risky," Luffy said.

"But we have to try something," Natsu said.

Luffy stretched his neck out of the web and high above his friends. "Fo Krah Nus!" A ring of frost, snow, ice, and cold air raced toward the web.

"Get ready, Natsu," Yusuke warned.

Natsu gathered all of the air in his lungs, puffing out his chest. "Yol Toor Shul!" he shouted right as the frost hit. The now brittle, cracked webs were now ablaze, destroying the trap Kidomaru had laid. Natsu, Luffy, and half frozen Yusuke fell to the ground.

"Nice thinking, Yusuke!" Luffy said.

Yusuke rushed to aid his Noc Plo Kir. Kidomaru stood over the spiritual power on the ground with six, darker colored, hardened and sharpened pieces of webbing ready to land the final blow. "Hey six-armed freak!" Yusuke yelled, "If you are gonna trap us, at least do it right!"

"What?!" Kidomaru turned around, received a powerful punch to the face. Kidomaru tumbled back and slammed into a large tree.

Kidomaru spat on the ground and stood up, poising his six web blades to strike. "What are those made out of?" Luffy asked.

"It's a kind of special webbing," Yusuke said.

"Well done, smart guy," Kidomaru said "As my first victim, I want you to answer this: How many-"

"Licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?" Yusuke interrupted. "Sorry, never really cared for trying that."

"That wasn't what I was going to say, you insolent little piece of trash!" Kidomaru yelled, throwing one of his blades.

Yusuke dodged with ease. "I'm not going to even say that was remotely close."

"Lucky move!" Kidomaru shouted, throwing another one. "Let's see you dodge this one!"

Yusuke leaned to the side, barely dodging it. "Okay."

"I guess you've become used to getting stuff thrown at you!" He threw a third and fourth blade.

Yusuke bent back, wincing as one of the blades skimmed the top of his nose.

"I got you that time, didn't I?" Kidomaru said. "Yeah, I can see the blood running down your nose!" He threw his fifth one at Yusuke's leg.

Yusuke hopped into the air, wiping his nose clean of blood. "You missed that time-"

"Behind you!" Luffy warned.

Yusuke whipped around, hitting Kidomaru in the face with a roundhouse kick. Kidomaru flew back and flipped around, puffing up his cheeks for another web. Luffy rose from the ground and punched Kidomaru in the chin, making Kidomaru's head rattle from the force put into it. Kidomaru folded his arms as he sailed upward. "I see," he said. "I've been focusing on only one person. That was probably Jirobo's downfall."

"Look up!" Natsu said from above Kidomaru.

Kidomaru crossed his arms over his head, blocking the powerful punch delivered by Natsu. Kidomaru landed on the ground, surrounded by his three foes. "Interesting," Kidomaru muttered. "These guys aren't so dumb after all." He smirked. "However," he said, holding up three strings of web attached to his three opponents, "it looks like you guys are at the end of your ropes!" He yanked his opponents toward him as he prepared another web inside his mouth.

"Spirit Fist!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy exclaimed.

The three attacks flying toward Kidomaru forced him to spit out the half finished web as he quickly jumped into the air to avoid his opponents. Natsu, Yusuke, and Luffy fazed out, each taking a breath of relief as they dodged one another. "_Damn it!" _Kidomaru thought, _"I needed that to hit!"_

"Get your ass down here!" Yusuke shot into the air and grabbed his ankle.

Kidomaru braced for impact as Yusuke slammed him to the ground, making all six of his arms ache. "We're not gonna let you leave here," Luffy said.

"It's a fight until either we or you fall!" Natsu said.

"A fight to the death?" Kidomaru faked a smirk. "I didn't think you had it in you!" He spun another web blade and threw it at his three foes. Kidomaru propelled it forward with a ball of gray webbing.

"That again?" Natsu cocked his palm back. "Flaming Palm of the Fire Dragon!" He thrust his arm forward, smirking as the webs burned as they touched his palms.

Kidomaru fired three more webs. "_If I can just wear them down..."_

Yusuke, Natsu, and Luffy fired beams of energy, disintegrating the weaker webs. "That's not good enough," Yusuke said. "When are you gonna get serious?"

"Fine," Kidomaru said. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

The three teens from Nick Fury fell into fighting stances. "Let's go."

Kidomaru held up three fingers. "Three minutes. That's how long it'll take for me to kill you; a whole minute each."

Yusuke tensed up. _This guy isn't bluffing._

"Ninja Art: Spread Shot!" Kidomaru formed webbing in his mouth. He started to spit webs like a machine gun, firing them faster than Yusuke and the others could count.

The three left behind began dodging webs faster than they've dodged anything else before. Yusuke's eyes widened as he was hit and sent into a tree, suspended in mid-air.

"It's only been thirty seconds!" Kidomaru dodged a kick from Luffy and a punch from Natsu. "Ninja Art: Web Spike!" Kidomaru spat out a spear made from hardened web at Yusuke.

"Yusuke!" Natsu exclaimed, intercepting the spear with a kick.

Kidomaru smirked. "I got you!" He spat a web at Natsu's back at hands, sticking him to another tree. Kidomaru turned around. "I guess it's just you and-"

"Punk!" Yusuke yelled, punching Kidomaru in the face from the side.

"But how?!" Kidomaru exclaimed.

"Afterimage technique!" Yusuke grinned and ripped the webs from his shirt. "My timing had to be perfect, or else it wouldn't have worked."

"It doesn't matter," Kidomaru said. "The fire user is stuck and can't use his hands!"

"I can still blow fire!" Natsu tried to break free. "_These are too strong!"_

Kidomaru fired a web behind his back, covering Natsu's mouth. "Oh, a minute has passed."'

"Just because Natsu's too slow to fight you, that doesn't mean we are!" Luffy spiked his aura.

Natsu's eyebrows furrowed as he angrily tried to yell something.

"Gum Gum Gatling!" Luffy yelled.

Kidomaru's eyes widened. "Gum Gum What?!"

In a flash, Luffy's arms came upon the spider man, furiously beating him around the face and chest with a flurry of fists. Luffy punched Kidomaru through the trunk of a tree and kept charging, not giving Kidomaru a chance to counter. "Has another minute passed yet?" He held Kidomaru by the throat. "Gum Gum Pistol!" A chi-enhanced punch rocketed Kidomaru into the sky.

"That could have really hurt!" Kidomaru said, using his webs to cushion his fall. Hardened webs fell from his shirt and face.

Luffy's jaw dropped. "How in the hell-"

"Let me handle this!" Yusuke said.

"I would have been a goner," Kidomaru said. "I like you guys. You keep me on my toes."

"One question," Yusuke said.

"Shoot," Kidomaru said.

"The webs; where do they come from?" Yusuke asked.

"Impressive, right?" Kidomaru said. "They manifest as soon as I gather any chi into any pore of my body. I can excrete webs in one spot or all over my body."

"That's crafty." Yusuke smirked.

"Why are you complimenting him?!" Luffy said. "He stuck Natsu to a tree!"

"It means that as long as you have that webbing, we can't afford to pull punches." Yusuke spiked his aura.

"_Hand to hand with these guys is suicide. The stretchy one's Gum Gum powers are too strong for me to allow a heavy blow,"_ Kidomaru thought. _"I'll have to take them from a distance."_

Kidomaru fazed out, disappearing inside the thick forest. Yusuke and Luffy looked around back to back. "There's no spotting him while he's in there." Yusuke closed his eyes, looking for the faintest energy signal.

"He's closing his eyes?" Kidomaru frowned. "He's tracking my energy, the little shit. I'll find his blind spot and attack there."

The mountain trail fell silent. Yusuke and Luffy both had their eyes closed, carefully searching the forest for Kidomaru. "Jump!" Yusuke warned, watching as a kunai flew under his feet.

"It's a trap!" Luffy watched as several bolts of hardened web shot from the trees.

"I know. Look out! Spirit Shotgun!" Yusuke exclaimed, firing many balls of spirit energy all around he and Luffy. The webs were destroyed on contact and turned into piles of ash.

"_Impossible!"_ Kidomaru clenched his fists. _"Those damn chi attacks! But how the hell did they see the kunai coming? These brats are becoming more trouble than I thought they would be!"_

* * *

"The worst case scenario might play out after all," Piccolo said. "Unless one or two of you feel like you can take on an assassin by yourself and come back."

"Please, Namekian," Vegeta said. "I could have defeated all four before we made it this far."

"I didn't see you offer to fight," Naruto said.

"One of these days," Trunks said, "someone is going to take you down."

"Like who?" Vegeta smirked. "You think you will?"

"Shut up," Piccolo said. "Fighting these assassins is enough. We don't have time to be fighting each other."

"Luffy and the others just better come back alive," Zoro said, barely conscious.

* * *

"Found you!" Yusuke said. "Spirit Gun!" He fired into the trees.

"_No way!"_ Kidomaru ducked as the beam went through the tree behind him. _"Could he actually sense my energy this far away? What kinds of freaks are these guys?"_

"You can't hide!" Luffy said. "Just come out!"

"Fine." Kidomaru hopped out from the trees, his body covered in black spirals and lines. "You have made this far more interesting; I'm sad it has to end here."

"Those lines... I remember those lines." Luffy recalled the final match against team Toguro in the Dark Tournament. Lines similar to Kidomaru's dashed Sasuke's body before Sasuke turned into something. Something horrifying. "Get ready, Yusuke. We may be dealing with a different opponent here."

Kidomaru pressed his palm to the ground, generating a black chi pattern around it. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Out of thin air, a giant spider with red and black mark patterns all over its legs and body rested on a giant web suspended between a group of trees above the three students of Goku. Natsu's eyes widened. "Grfrgrfrgrfrg!" he yelled.

"Have I ever told you that I freaking _hate_ big-ass spiders?" Yusuke said.

"No." Luffy's lips curled into an evil smirk. "I'll remember that for later."

The giant spider started spinning silk into a large cocoon directly above Luffy and Yusuke. "Scatter!" Kidomaru threw a kunai at the cocoon, opening a hole in the side. Thousands of tiny spiders of all species flooded out of the cocoon.

"Hey Yusuke," Luffy said, "I need to use your shotgun again! I have an idea!"

"Got it! Spirit Shotgun!" Yusuke exclaimed, blasting bunches of spirit energy at the falling spiders.

"Gum Gum Machine Gun!" Luffy's arms shot all around him like the Gum Gum Gatling, but fired chi blasts from each hand instead of a punch.

"That's it," Kidomaru said, watching as the tiny spiders created thick webs in layers around the attacks, suppressing the range of the chi.

"He's trying to close us in," Yusuke said. "Stop!"

They both stopped attacking. "There!" Kidomaru exclaimed, throwing two hardened web spears at them.

Luffy stretched his arms around them both and caught the spears. "Have these back!"

Kidomaru hopped over the spears. "_That boy with the elastic powers has to go down!" _Kidomaru started assailing his opponents with hundreds of the web daggers as more spiders began to fall.

"I'm getting tired of this!" Yusuke fell into stance, aiming his arms directly at the spider. "Kamehameha!" Yusuke gasped in pain as a dagger impaled his shoulder.

"I got him!" Kidomaru's victory was short-lived, as Yusuke's attack still eviscerated most of Kidomaru's spiders. "Now to tire them out."

"Here come some more!" Luffy said. "Gum Gum Machine Gun!"

"Spirit Shotgun-" Yusuke groaned as another kunai impaled the back of his leg.

"Yusuke! Are you okay?" Luffy asked.

"Peachy," Yusuke said through grit teeth. "Just don't give up."

A web arrow impaled Luffy in the knee... and another in the shoulder. Yusuke took a dagger to the arm and barely ducked one to the face, but in exchange, taking one to the foot. Yusuke and Luffy fell to the ground, bracing themselves for the next three blows. "Wasn't exactly three minutes," Kidomaru said, "but record time for killing a trio of super-powered freaks."

"Get the hell up, Luffy." Yusuke weakly climbed to his feet.

"All I gotta do is get ta squintin', and you're ready to chuckle Narnia. I'm insulting your wardrobe, lad!" he said in a Sean Connery voice. Then he paused as Yusuke glared at him. Right when Yusuke opened his mouth to insult the pirate back, Luffy butted in. "I'm insulting your wardrobe, lad!"

"Are you going to get up or..."

"Shut up!" Luffy stopped as if waiting. About ten seconds of awkward silence passed.

Yusuke said, "We-"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy shouted. A dog barked in the background.

Yusuke looked up toward the sky. "Did I just hear a dog bark-"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy shouted again. The dog barked again. "NO! F- YOU!"

Yusuke stood puzzled. "There is a dog here-"

"What the hell did you just say about Zoro?" Luffy shouted. "After I get up and beat spandex-reject Spiderman over here, you are next!"

"It's a dog, Luffy!" Yusuke said. "Get up-"

"Shut up!" Luffy shouted. "I wasn't about to stay down." He climbed to his feet.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Kidomaru asked.

"Oh, so sorry," Yusuke said. He widened his eyes and put his knees together like a shy school girl. "What did you think of my burning determination, Kidomaru-chan?" he taunted in a high pitched, female voice.

"Did you just freaking call me a girl?" Kidomaru growled.

Luffy grinned. "What if he did?"

Natsu laughed, even though he was muffled. "Grfrggrfrgfrdgrdgrgfrgm! Grfrgrfg, grfgdgfrgfg grfr! Hrrrrm!"

"Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed, "What he said!"

"This is going to be messier than it has to be," Kidomaru said. "Won't it?"

"Yeah," Luffy said. "Your blood will be one hell of a mess to clean up."

"You know something?" Yusuke burst into the air. "I'm tired of looking at that spider! Spirit Gun!"

The beam of energy impaled the arachnid's body, piercing the heart. The spider screeched and squealed out of pain, bursting into a pile of webs. "Tch." Kidomaru arrogantly hopped from the trees. "This outcome is going to be too predictable." Kidomaru's aura spiked as the black patterns on his skin started to glow and turn into a fiery orange rage scattering his limbs and face. In a flash, he disappeared again into the trees.

"What's happening to him?" Yusuke asked.

"I don't know," Luffy said, "but his power level just went way down." he said, configuring his scouter. "Whatever it is, it's to our advantage."

"How do you even work that thing?" Yusuke said.

"The red button reads the power level, the green button is a communicator," Luffy said. "I learned that from my time with Vegeta and Nappa."

"A communicator?!" Yusuke yelled. "You mean we could have called for back-up this whole time?"

Luffy grinned slyly. "What's the matter? Afraid of losing the bet?"

* * *

"I don't expect much from that slobbering pig Jirobo," Tayuya said, "but what is keeping Kidomaru? He should have caught up by now!"

"Oh," Sakon said, "you know how Kidomaru plays with his food. It keeps him happy, so let him do it."

"He'll lose his head one day and go to his second state," Tayuya said. "He'll piss off the wrong Shinobi one day and get himself killed."

"Yes," Sakon said. "I wouldn't count Kidomaru out so easily."

* * *

Kidomaru's muddied hair had grown long, white, and unruly. His skin had shriveled an darkened until it was a dark, pale shade of purple. His eyes, including his new third one on his forehead, shrunk into two slits, giving him increased accuracy as he pulled back the arrow on his web bow. "Just give it up," Yusuke said. "We can sense you anywhere. These scouters help a heck of a lot too."

Luffy and Yusuke ducked the arrow. The arrow came back around as a trap, but Luffy saw it. "Cheap shot."

"Hey Luffy," Yusuke said. "Let's finish this."

"Three minutes or less?" Luffy smirked.

They fazed out into the forest. "Now you've pissed us off!" Luffy dodged several arrows and flipped over Kidomaru, landing behind him.

Kidomaru's eyes widened as Yusuke appeared in front of him and kicked the bow out of his hand. "You spent so much time trying to slow us down, but you ended up becoming slow yourself. Your transformation didn't help much either."

"It was supposed to increase my accuracy," Kidomaru said. "It's amazing that you two were able to dodge."

"We had bricks whipped at us daily as part of a training schedule," Yusuke said. "This was pretty close, though."

Kidomaru chuckled. "If I wasn't trying to kill you, I might actually wanna be friends with you freaks."

"You can think about it once you thaw out," Luffy said.

Kidomaru's eyes grew. "Wait, what-"

"Fo Krah Nus!" Luffy said, freezing Kidomaru where he stood, as well as creating a mini blizzard to screw over that area of the forest.

Natsu felt the webs binding his hands and face weaken. He fell to the ground and ripped the webs off his mouth. "No one won the bet! I couldn't fight!"

"Whatever," Yusuke said, pulling the hardened webs from his body. "Let's just catch up to the group."

The three teens jumped into the air, making fifty foot leaps to catch up to their friends. "Hey! We won!" he yelled, loud enough to where his friends and the assassins could hear.

"Shut up!" Yusuke said. "Whatever plan Piccolo and the others had to surprise them-"

"Only two of them are left," Natsu said. "I'm pretty sure we'll be able to take them."

"There they are!" Luffy said. "Come on, guys."

"Hey, Luffy! Natsu! Yusuke!" Naruto exclaimed, watching as his three friends leaped to the front of the group.

"Anyone hurt?" Erza asked.

"Not too bad," Yusuke said. "I can still fight."

"It's about time you guys caught up," Goku said. "We're almost there."

The sun started to set and more snow started to fall as the cold, night wind began to blow. "Are you sure?" Aang said, generating fire on his hands to keep them warm.

"Yeah," Goku said, "Look toward the top of the mountain-" His scouter beeped as a third power level appeared on the screen as a tiny yellow circle. "My scouter has tracked something at the peak." He closed his eyes, seeing the small silhouettes of Tayuya and Sakon in the distance. "We're close," Goku said. "If we surround them, there will be no need to split again."

"Then let's hit it!" Naruto said, running into a full sprint.

"It's almost sundown," Sakon said, "and the others haven't caught up."

"Who cares?" Tayuya said angrily. "It's Kimimaro I'm worried about."

"There have been too many delays," Sakon said. "We should have been there by now."

"We're right on their tails," Kakashi said.

Piccolo looked toward the sky. "It's getting dark. We'll have a better chance to surprise them this way."

"Vegeta, Piccolo, Trunks," Goku said, "let's finish this."

They nodded and fazed out with Goku, reappearing in front of Sakon and Tayuya. Goku kicked Sakon in the chest and Piccolo punched Tayuya in the face, knocking them on their behinds. Sakon rolled back and charged. "I can take you!" he shouted.

Vegeta kicked Sakon in the chin and brought his heel down on Sakon's face. Sakon yelped in pain and hopped back. "Quick Barrage!" Sakon sent an assault of strikes at Goku and Vegeta.

"You're pretty good," Goku said, dodging a kick. "It's too bad I've gotta beat you so quick." Goku's fist smashed into Sakon's face.

Sakon felt his nose break as Goku followed through. Ukon's head smacked the back of Sakon's as they hit the ground. "Darn," Edward said, showing up with the others. "You got to them before I could."

Erza cocked her fist back and charged at Tayuya, beating the other redhead with a barrage of steel fists. "That's enough," Piccolo said. "They've learned their lesson."

Trunks lifted Sakon by his collar. "Turn back now," he said. "We've defeated your friends and will not hesitate to beat you."

Trunks threw Sakon to the ground. Goku and Kakashi started again on the trail. "We're almost there," Goku said. "If we move fast enough, we should be able to make it before morning."

Sakon and Tayuya watched as they disappeared from view. Black patterns on their skin caused their auras to spike. "You think it's that easy?!" Sakon yelled, he and Tayuya chasing after the assailants keeping them from their goal.

"They're following us," Goku said, "I'll fight the boy. To complete their mission, the girl will have to go around."

"I'll cut her off there," Ichigo said, fazing out to meet Tayuya head-on.

"Right," Goku fell back from the group. "I'll see you guys later."

Piccolo and the remaining others continued up the path, getting closer and closer to the peak.

**The Sean Connery Luffy bits were from "None Piece: by PurpleEyesWTF.**


	14. The Assassins Lose

**I own nothing**

**DON'T READ: Chapters will be around 3000 to approx. 5000 words from this point on, it may change later, but I want to keep each story at 30 chapters maximum.**

"My scouter picked up on another power level," Vegeta said.

"Right," Piccolo said.

"It may be the Dragonball," Naruto said.

"No," Vegeta said. "It's moving too fast up the mountain."

"Could it be Goku or Ichigo?" Erza asked.

"No," Piccolo said. "This guy's energy is different."

"But who could it be?" Trunks said, "The monastery is still too far for me to sense the people Sepharia told us about."

"Maybe there is another assassin," Inuyasha said.

"No," Luffy said. "We saw them. There were only four."

"Or maybe that's what they wanted us to think," Kakashi said. "The four we saw may have just been decoys."

"That pisses me off!" Natsu barked. "No one tricks me like-"

"Natsu," Piccolo interrupted. "We can't go engage him like that. If he turns out to be one of Nick Fury's men, we'll destroy our alliance with them."

"Just in case he isn't with Fury," Vegeta said, "I will cut him off."

"You're gonna have to get past me first," Naruto said, rushing up the trail.

"Naruto!" Aang exclaimed, running after him. "Wait up!"

"Damn it," Vegeta cursed, running as fast as he could up the trail.

"Hey, you!" Naruto said, pointing at the tall, pale-skinned, thin young man speedily moving up the trail. "Stop right there!"

He stopped running. "I take it that the others have failed?" He shook his head and turned around. "I knew I shouldn't have left them to take care of you, Naruto."

Naruto stepped back and looked at the young man with surprise. "K-kimimaro?!"

"You seem surprised," Kimimaro said. "I was too, when I was given another chance."

"Chance at what?" Naruto asked, slowly raising his aura for the impending battle.

"A chance at infinite power." Kimimaro's aura slowly raised as well.

Naruto smirked. "You're stupid for thinking that this is the way."

"You have no idea what my master can do," Kimimaro said.

"It's obviously nothing I can't handle," Naruto's aura turned red and shaped itself into a fox outline with one tail.

"I don't admire your confidence," Kimimaro said. "I can't wait to shatter it."

"What are you waiting for?" Naruto said.

* * *

Goku hit Sakon in the back, but something sent him flying back. "What was that?" Goku flipped back and landed on his feet. _"I don't have time to figure out why."_ Goku's aura spiked.

Sakon kept his guard up. _"This guy is a lot stronger than I thought he'd be; I have to go all-out!"_

"Here I come!" Goku fazed out, throwing a kick into Sakon's face.

Sakon flipped back and raised his chi. Two more arms sprouted from his back. "Let's go, Ukon!"

"Two can play at that game!" Goku said. "Four Witches Technique!" Two more arms sprouted from his back as well.

"No way!" Sakon exclaimed.

"I'm not going to hold back!" Goku charged.

* * *

"Well," Kimimaro said. "It seems like I'm outnumbered."

"You got that right!" Naruto and his hundreds of clones said.

"I'm going to have to fix that." Two sharp blades made out of Kimimaro's own bone jutted out from the palms of his hands.

"I've gotten stronger," Naruto said.

"So have I."

* * *

Three twenty foot tall behemoths covered in bandages with clubs and swords towered over Ichigo. "How do you like my Doki?"

"It's a nice technique," Ichigo said. "Do they want to attack?"

"Since you asked." She held her flute up to her lips and started to play a fast-paced, pentatonic scale tune similar to every AC/DC song ever.

"Wow," Ichigo said, blocking a sword strike from one Doki and dodging another one's swing of its club. "Pentatonics? Really?"

"What?" Tayuya said. "It way better than you could ever do."

"I play flute in my high school symphony orchestra," Ichigo said. He winced as Tayuya angrily played a flat high E note. "You suck."

"Shut up! Why don't you try to-" Tayuya's eyes widened. "No way! That's not about to work!"

Ichigo chuckled. "You're smarter than I thought."

"Don't kiss up to me now because you want me to spare your life!" Tayuya's curse mark began to spread over her entire body, drawing black lines visible on her hands and face.

"I wasn't kissing up to you." Ichigo cut a gash through one Doki's stomach. "You need to be taller than I am for that to happen."

"You've got quite the mouth on you." Tayuya smirked. "I'll enjoy shutting it up permanently."

"_I need to get to that flute. If one of those things hits me, I may be a goner."_ Ichigo blocked another strike with Zangetsu. _"I have to start fighting offensively."_

* * *

Goku and Sakon's fight came to a standstill as they locked hands in a power struggle, pushing on each other's knuckles to try to gain a slight edge. "You seem to be growing tired," Sakon said.

"I'm tired of this fight." Goku crushed Sakon's knuckles to the point that they bleed. He whipped the assassin into the air and drew his four hands to his sides. "Kame..." A blue ball of energy formed in his hands. "Hame..."

Sakon crossed his arms. _"Damn it all to hell!"_

"Ha!" Goku exclaimed, firing the dual waves of death at Sakon.

"_I can't believe I have to go to phase two already!"_ Sakon's glowing curse marks covered every portion of his body.

Goku felt his opponent's chi increase tenfold. "You're transforming?!"

Sakon's nose and chin ended at a point and one long, skin-colored horn appeared on Sakon and Ukon's heads. Their skin color had darkened from pale gray to dark red. Sakon deflected the wave with his hands. "What are you in the mood for, Ukon?"

"Ripping him apart!" Ukon and his brother grinned.

"I don't have time for this!" Goku said, preparing to clash again.

Sakon and Ukon charged with their horns. "I'll skewer you!"

Goku caught the horns and sent a knee strike into their stomach. "Right."

"Don't mock me!" Sakon snarled, trying to break free of Goku's grip.

Goku fazed out, reappearing behind then to deliver a fatal blow. "Kamehameha!"

Sakon and Ukon fazed out as well, preparing to counter with a tai-jutsu. " Fists' Barrage!"

Goku whipped around, easily blocking all of the super quick punches. Goku ducked a kick and shot upward with a powerful punch to the gut, sending Sakon and Ukon spiraling into the air. "Kamehameha!"

Sakon's eyes widened as a larger blue wave of death rocketed toward them. "Split, Ukon!"

Ukon and Sakon quickly pushed each other's heads away until they split one another in half. Black synthetic material took the shape of the other half of their bodies, making each brother whole. The Kamehameha passed through the middle of them. "A good idea for once."

"Shut up!" Sakon barked.

"Should we summon Rashomon?" Ukon asked.

Sakon nodded. "Once he charges-" In a flash, Goku sent Sakon spiraling upward again with an uppercut.

"Body Jutsu: Cell Reconstruction!" Ukon sent a chi-enhanced palm strike toward Goku's face. "Now you're mine!"

Goku leaned back, dodging the strike. "Sorry, but that was a bit too slow." Goku spun around, knocking Ukon aside with a powerful roundhouse kick. "You're done for! Meteor Combination!"

Ukon barely had time to react before Goku's final barrage struck him. Every part of Ukon's body cried in pain, rendering him useless to a defense. He shut his eyes as Goku defeated him with a heel kick to the face. Goku hopped back, waiting for Ukon to climb to his feet. Sakon groggily stood up after the last blow and ran to his brother's aid. "Ukon! Ukon! Speak to me!" Sakon lightly slapped his face.

"He's not dead," Goku said. "I don't like to kill my opponents."

Sakon turned to him and spiked his aura. "You hurt my brother!"

"Isn't that what happens in a fight?"

Sakon clenched his fists. "I'll kill you!"

* * *

Naruto yelped in pain as the bone blade barely made contact with his arm. A small trail of blood shot from his arm. "There is the real one!" Kimimaro said. Naruto and two clones armed themselves with kunai and rushed toward the leader of the assassins. "I've fought Ichimonji Kendo users who could use a blade better than you can!"

All of the other clones jumped in at once. "You take that back!"

"Willow Dance!" In a mixture of acrobatic skills and quick attacks, half of Naruto's clones had been cut down. Smoke from the dead clones covered the battleground in a layer of white gas. Bones slowly protruded from his knees and elbows, increasing the death rate of the clones. A longsword made out of bones shot from his shoulder and into his hand.

"Not that again!" Naruto whined.

"Don't worry," Kimimaro said. "I'll be using it a lot differently."

* * *

"Accept it," Goku said. "You won't beat me."

"I'm the strongest of Orochimaru's elite!" Sakon barked. "You don't know what I'm capable of!"

"Yes I do," Goku said. "You think he can give you and your brother the power you want; revenge on the world."

"Shut up!" Sakon sent a flurry of fists at Goku.

Goku caught Sakon's fists and pushed forward and down. Sakon slowly dropped to his knees. "Getting revenge won't solve your problems."

"It'll sure as hell make me feel better!" Sakon broke free of Goku's grip and hopped back. "I'm not going to listen to you!"

Goku grimaced. "Then I'll give you some time to think."

* * *

Ichigo barely dodged three swipes and blocked a fourth. "You've probably figured this out," Ichigo said. "I was bluffing before. I don't even play flute."

"Yeah," Tayuya said. "You tried to interrupt my playing with your taunts so you could get to my flute. Clever, but not clever enough."

"I admit that it was a cheap shot." Ichigo chopped the arm off of one of the Doki and hopped back as the Doki's other arm brought down a club.

"No one has ever heard this song and lived to tell about it," Tayuya said. "As much as I enjoy this little game, I'm running out of time." Tayuya brought her flute to her lips again. "Ode of Decay in D-sharp Minor: Ninth Passage!" A high D-sharp and an A natural whistled from her flute simultaneously, creating an ear piercing tri-tone. The trees around them quickly lost their leaves that were now brittle and brown.

A descending chromatic scale, all formed from the tri-tone, signaled the Doki to charge once again. All three Doki opened their mouths. Giant, spectral worms with mouths covering their entire bodies charged toward Ichigo. Ichigo swung his sword horizontally and charged forward, slicing two of the three in half. He stepped back and thrust his sword backwards, straight into the third worm's mouth. White energy surrounded his Zanpakuto and trailed to the third worm. "I see," Ichigo said. "Whatever gets eaten by the worm has its energy drained. That would work for Shinobi, seeing as they are mostly unarmed."

Tayuya's eyebrows furrowed as she started to play faster and louder with more vigor.

"But if you haven't noticed," Ichigo said, "I'm no Shinobi."

"It doesn't matter," Tayuya said, watching as her Doki's worms repaired themselves. "I'm still going to crush you." She continued playing and the worms starting chasing him again.

Ichigo hopped into the air and fired a direct Cero blast at the master of the Doki. "Try this!"

Tayuya flipped back and covered her face as the blast sent mud and snow up at her face. When she removed her arm from her face, her opponent disappeared. _"Where did that shit go?"_

Another red Cero blast shot from the trees. One of the Doki leaped in front of Tayuya, taking the blow. "Over here!" Ichigo said.

The Doki charged into the trees but found nothing as Ichigo fazed out again. Five more shots flew from the trees, and all three Doki formed a protective barrier around Tayuya. Ichigo reappeared above the Doki with his palms facing outward. Tayuya gasped. "How did you-"

"Solar Flare!" Ichigo exclaimed, illuminating the entire forest with blinding light.

"How were you able to track their movements?!" Tayuya yelled, furiously rubbing her eyes.

"I might not play flute," Ichigo said, "but I know that your fingerings control the music, controlling where they move." Ichigo chopped the Doki down from behind. The Doki fell to pieces. "When you pressed down with your first finger with your right hand and your middle and ring finger with your left hand, they formed a defensive position around you. Variations with your pinkies and your indexes caused them to attack." Ichigo smirked. "While you were busy watching my movements, you should have been busy watching your own." Ichigo stood poised his sword. "Now you're wide open."

Tayuya's curse seal spread over her entire body. "I am wide open." Her skin quickly turned from light to a pale brown and her eyes lost their pupils becoming two black pits. Five white horns, two on her forehead, two on the back of her head, and a smaller one on the top of her head, twisted as they revealed themselves. "But I'm way more than you can handle as of now."

"Really?" Ichigo brought his open hand to the left side of his face. "I think I still have the upper hand." He dragged his hand down, peeling the skin off of the left half of his face to reveal half of his hollow mask. Four red, fanning stripes decorated the upper half of the mask and razor-sharp teeth molded over the left side of his mouth. His eyes transformed into black pits as well, but gold rings near the center of the eye indicated that he still had pupils.

"A Hollow?" Tayuya said, nearly shaking in fear. _"This wasn't in the plan! I wasn't expecting him to be a damn Hollow!"_ Tayuya placed her flute to her lips again.

Ichigo fell into a defensive stance. "Let's finish this."

"Demon Flute: Chains of Fantasia!" Clear shockwaves erupted from Tayuya's flute, blasting Ichigo into the air.

Ichigo flipped around and held his sword out, charging a powerful beam at the tip. "Cero Beam!"

Tayuya sent out another shockwave, taking a quick sigh of relief as the beam bounced back at its user.

Ichigo fell to the ground and fazed out, reappearing behind his opponent. "It's over!"

"Gotcha!" Tayuya exclaimed.

Ichigo couldn't move his arms. "What's happening!" He dropped to his knees. "What did you do?"

Tayuya turned around. _"Drop that sword."_

An invisible force pried Ichigo's hands open. Ichigo's sword clattered on a small patch of ice next to him. Ichigo looked up, watching as Tayuya slowly faded away. The world around him slowly disappeared and soon all he could see was red. "Is this some type of illusion-" An immense burning pain traveled through his arms and legs, making Ichigo scream in terror.

"_Stop screaming, dumbass!" _Ichigo's Hollow form barked. _"It's a mass illusion technique! Stop feeling! Let me take over!"_

"No!" Ichigo said. "You'll get out of control-"

"Just shut up and trust me!" Hollow Ichigo said.

Tayuya watched as Ichigo talked to himself with two different voices. "What- what the-"

Ichigo slowly stood up and looked at Tayuya with a devilish grin. Zangetsu flew to his hand. "How ya' doin', baby?!" He threw his head back and laughed like a madman.

"_Is that his Hollow talking to me?"_ Tayuya tried playing the same tune to trap Ichigo again, but to no avail. _"Why isn't this working?!"_

Ichigo punched Tayuya in the side of her face. He followed up for a sword slash but Tayuya raised her flute, blocking the strike. "I like a woman who knows how to fight!" Hollow Ichigo said.

"Don't get cocky!" Tayuya kicked Ichigo in the stomach and flipped back, landing a kick on Ichigo's chin.

Ichigo stumbled back and rubbed the bruise that she left. "Rawr."

"Creep!"

"Enough!" Ichigo said, taking control again. "I apologize for him."

"I don't care!" Tayuya said. "I just want you dead!"

* * *

Kimimaro skewered the remaining clones, leaving just the real Naruto. "And then there was one."

Naruto rushed forward and threw a punch. Kimimaro swung his sword. "You're too predictable!" Naruto said, fazing out.

Kimimaro smirked and whipped around, expecting the blonde ninja to be there.

A gust of wind blew Kimimaro aside, sending the disciple of Orochimaru tumbling into a group of dying trees. Naruto reappeared to where Kimimaro was standing, punching at nothing. "I thought I should join in." Aang rushed into the scene of battle.

"Darn it, Aang!" Naruto exclaimed. "I had him!"

"Obviously you didn't," Aang said. "Your clones would still be alive."

"I'll show you!" Naruto said. "Stand back!"

"Who is this?" Kimimaro said, climbing to his feet.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm the one fighting you!"

"I am the Avatar," Aang said. "Master of all four elements." He created a gust of wind with one hand and manipulated water with the other.

"What about fire and earth?" Kimimaro asked. "You surely can't be the Avatar."

Aang's eyebrow twitched. He swung his heel upward, creating a trail of fire racing toward Kimimaro. "How about that?!"

Kimimaro hopped over the trail of fire. "Pitiful."

Aang tore a small chunk of rock from the ground. "How about this?!"

Kimimaro raised his sword in front of his face, easily blocking the rock. "You might be able to lift up rocks and light a candle, but you are no Avatar."

"I'm learning!" Aang said. "I've mastered air and energy and now I'm mastering water-bending!"

"Ooh," Kimimaro mocked. "Water? What will that do to me?" Kimimaro chuckled. "Trash."

Aang fired a dense, clear ball of water into Kimimaro's chest, knocking the Sound ninja to the ground. "It'll do that to you! Any more questions?"

"How many swings of my sword will it take to kill you?" Kimimaro said, getting to his feet again.

"Trick question," Aang said. "You won't be able to kill me."

"Get out of here!" Naruto yelled at Aang. "This is my fight!"

"Not anymore." Aang summoned a funnel of wind to circle around him. "Back up, Naruto."

"I'm helping you," Naruto said. "I'm the only one who has fought this guy before."

"Fine." Aang and Naruto fell into a fighting stance. "Let's go."

Kimimaro charged. "Your mistake!"

Aang ducked a slash and jolted upward, nailing Kimimaro in the chin with an uppercut. Naruto followed by hopping into the air and slamming his heel in Kimimaro's face. "It was my mistake I didn't intervene sooner."


	15. The top of the mountain

**I OWN NOTHING**

"You're about to die! Wipe that smirk off your face!" Sakon said, futilely sparking another clash against the Saiyan in front of him.

Goku grabbed Sakon's fists with his hands. "I'm not about to die," he said. "You're about to be unconscious." Goku sent three lightning fast knee strike into Sakon's ribs, breaking one with each strike.

Sakon tore away from Goku and fell to his knees, struck motionless with pain. "No!"

Goku kicked Sakon in the face, folding his arms as Sakon tumbled back. "Now stay still."

"Screw you!"

"Silly, I'm not a screw."

"What kind of idiot are you?"

"One who hasn't been out of my home until I was twelve."

"What the hell?"

Goku fazed out, reappearing above Sakon with his heel cocked back. "Goodbye."

Sakon rolled out of the way and hopped to his feet. "It'll take more than a few kicks to put me down!" Sakon said, throwing his all into every single punch.

"Then I'll use more than a few kicks," Goku said, landing a kick in Sakon's chin. "I'll use a lot!"

Sakon stumbled back, not preparing himself for Goku's terrible barrage. Kick after kick struck Sakon's face and chest, slowly driving him back into a tree. Sakon weakly lifted his head. Goku followed through with a punch to the face, breaking the tree behind Sakon. The sound village ninja slumped to the ground, leaning up against the tree stump.

"Hopefully he'll be more willing to talk when he wakes up." Goku turned toward the way up the mountain and shivered. "We gotta get up there fast. It's getting colder."

* * *

Flute and sword clashed again. "That's a nice finish," Ichigo said. "I don't really pay attention to the woodwinds, but with that silver gloss, I guess it was pretty expensive."

"It's a magically enhanced Gemeinhardt M-1. I paid nothing; one of my first jobs was assassinating the first chair flute player of the Otogakure Philharmonic. Somehow he found out about Orochimaru's elite and I said hello." Tayuya hopped back, playing a fast major scale. A shock wave knocked Ichigo back into a thick group of trees. "By the way, why do you care about how much my flute is?"

Ichigo stood up and pointed his sword straight forward. A blue aura slowly spiked around the sharp edge of the blade. "Just so I can feel justified about what I'm about to do." Ichigo swung his sword straight down, firing a curved blade of energy at Tayuya. Ichigo darted around his opponent while creating more of the energy blades. In a flash, Tayuya found herself surrounded by Ichigo's finishing move.

"What is this?" Tayuya said, frantically looking around for a way out.

"Hellzone Grenade!" Ichigo exclaimed, swinging his sword down one final time, splitting the ground as his blade hit.

A trio of blades shot down from the sky, cutting her arms and legs. The rest of the blades fell on her, cutting her flute and horns into tiny pieces while putting her in enough pain to make her fall to the ground. Tayuya's curse marks retreated; whatever fight she would have had in her was gone.

Ichigo sheathed his sword and took a deep breath, seeing it in front of his face. "It's over," he said, but the thoughts of what would lie ahead were still unclear in his mind. "For now."

* * *

"The sun has set," Vegeta said, "and I can still sense Naruto and Aang fighting." Vegeta spiked his aura and fazed out to the middle of the fight with Kimimaro, intercepting a blow that would have hit Aang.

"A third one?" Kimimaro said in surprise, taking a powerful uppercut to the chin from the Saiyan.

Vegeta jumped into the air, drawing his hands back toward his face. "Galick Gun: Fire!"

Kimimaro flipped back and held his hands out. Two wide, circular bowls of bone blocked the Galick Gun from destroying his body, but they slightly burned his hands. Kimimaro winced in pain an dropped to the ground, shaking his hands to cool them down.

"Vegeta!" Naruto exclaimed. "Get outta here! This guy is mine!"

"I thank you," Aang said. "You saved my life."

"I wasn't trying to save anyone's life," Vegeta said. "Just stay out of the way. You two can't handle it."

"There's no way I'm gonna listen to you!" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto," Aang said. "It'd be best if we withdrew for now."

"But why?"

"Do you want to get caught up in one of Vegeta's finishing attacks?"

Naruto reluctantly nodded and stepped away from Vegeta and Kimimaro. Vegeta patiently waited for Kimimaro to make the first move, ignoring the chilling wind and the more aggressive snowfall. Small, sharp bones slowly protruded through Kimimaro's fingers. _"He appears to be very fast. I just need to test how fast." _Kimimaro whipped the bones from his body like throwing knives at Vegeta. "Digital Shrapnel!"

Vegeta's hand shot in front of his face, catching the first Digital Shrapnel bone. "What was that?" he scoffed. "I've seen better test shots out of a six year old." His other hand caught the other nine bones.

"That was expected from someone capable of killing an elite and taking his armor," Kimimaro said.

Vegeta's smirk faded. "I am an elite."

"Then once I kill you, I'll report your betrayal to Lord Kuuzer."

"No need, I'll tell whoever this Kuuzer is myself."

"From beyond the grave?"

"Yeah," Vegeta said. "Your power level is so small compared to mine that I'll die out of boredom over anything else."

"Who are you?" Kimimaro asked.

"I'm the Prince of Saiyans." Vegeta charged, firing a volley of chi blasts at Kimimaro's feet.

Kimimaro hopped into the air. "A Saiyan?"

Vegeta took a running leap into the air, slamming Kimimaro's chest with a flying kick. "I'm surprised you haven't heard of them."

Kimimaro flipped back and looked at the growing bruise in his chest. Two more blades of bone protruded from his hands. "I have heard of them. From what I was told, they sounded like nothing but monkeys!"

Vegeta dodged the strikes with ease while pushing forward. "I'm driving you back, and you are the one attacking! Pathetic!"

The black lines of his curse seal started to spread, quickly creating complex, sharp patterns all over his face and arms. Vegeta winced in pain and hopped back, touching his fingers to his cheek. "My turn," Kimimaro said.

Vegeta looked at the blood on his glove. "You struck me."

"Surprised?"

"I didn't think you were this serious, to activate your curse seal."

Kimimaro's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"

Vegeta leaped back and spiked his aura. "It ends here, child!" He let out a battle cry and rained waves of energy upon Kimimaro, obliterating the dense forests farther up the path and melting the snow underneath him, revealing the hard, red mud. Red dust covered the entire area.

Aang and Naruto shielded their eyes from the blinding light and dust. "That's insane!" Naruto said, coughing throughout what he said.

"I can't die," Kimimaro said softly. "I must fill out my life's purpose." Kimimaro's curse mark spread even more until his skin had turned a sickly purple. Black, half-rings were painted around the outsides of his black eyes. Golden pupils tried to see past the dust, but Vegeta would not allow it.

"There's no way he survived that!" Aang shouted.

Vegeta checked his scouter. "Why won't you give up?!" he barked.

Kimimaro revealed himself from the mist. "Because I must fulfill my destiny!" Six thick bones shot out from the sides of his back. The ridges of his spine tore through the flesh, giving him the appearance of a half-man, half-dinosaur. A thick, long tail attached to Kimimaro's coccyx whipped around freely. Bones jutted out of the top and end of his tail, forming a spiky club. Kimimaro charged headfirst, using the front horns on his back as pikes.

Vegeta rushed forward, grabbing Kimimaro by his horns. "Still too simple."

Kimimaro smirked and swung his upper body back, flinging Vegeta into the air. "Apparently, it wasn't simple enough."

"I've had it!" Naruto exclaimed, charging toward Kimimaro's back with kunai in his hands.

Kimimaro smirked and brought his tail to his side, ready to put a bunch of holes in Naruto with one swing. "Naruto!" Aang exclaimed. Aang stomped and raised both hands, shielding Naruto with a wall of mud.

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of my way?" Vegeta snarled, intercepting a bone thrust from Kimimaro to Naruto's face.

Kimimaro flipped back, placing his hand over the top ridge of his spine. With a good yank, he ripped his own spine out. "Gah!" Aang exclaimed in disgust and terror. "That's his spine!"

Kimimaro's smirk faded. "I'm ready to end this."

Vegeta folded his arms. "So am I."

Kimimaro whipped his spine at Vegeta. It extended as it flew toward it's target, then wrapped around him once it became long enough. Kimimaro raised his other hand and began gathering dense bone around it and the rest of his arm, creating one, large pike. "Dance of the Clematis: Vine and Flower!"

Vegeta spiked his aura as Kimimaro ran toward him like a horseback jouster ready to run his opponent through. "Try to smash this!" Vegeta exclaimed, expelling energy around him. A thick, bright barrier of energy formed around him.

"I will break through!" Kimimaro shouted. "Orochimaru demands-"

"You actually believe Orochimaru can give you what you want?" Kimimaro's bone pike melted as soon as it came close to the energy barrier. Vegeta seized Kimimaro by the throat and threw him into the air. "You've used all of your energy with that attack! Orochimaru gave you the power to do that? He's more of a worm than I thought." Vegeta fired a large wave of chi from his hand, smashing into Kimimaro's chest.

Kimimaro dropped like a fly hit with a fly swatter. He laid on the ground, cold, broken, defeated. "But... He said I'd be able to help him!"

"He lied." Vegeta sent a heel strike into Kimimaro's temple, knocking the boy unconscious. He stood over Kimimaro, holding his palm out. A bright, yellow ball of chi grew on his hand.

"That is enough, Vegeta," Aang said, creating a wall of mud in between the Saiyan and the ninja. "We have won. He is incapable of fighting any longer."

"He's too far gone," Vegeta said. "If he wakes up, he will just be getting in my way."

"Then we'll fight him again," Naruto said. "Let's wait for the rest of the group."

"You're telling me what to do?" Vegeta said.

Naruto grimaced. "I am."

Vegeta laughed and turned back to Kimimaro. "Step aside or be destroyed."

A big gust of wind blew Vegeta away from Kimimaro. "We told you that's enough." Aang and Naruto stood in front of their previous opponent, now protecting him from the ruthless hands of Vegeta.

"You really think that you can take me?" Vegeta said, half-laughing.

Aang and Naruto fell into stance and spiked their auras. "If we must fight you, we will," Aang said.

Naruto smirked. "Plus, you're gonna have Goku-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and everyone else backing us up soon."

"I'm not worried," Vegeta said. "The only one I'll have to fight seriously is Kakarot."

"Kakarot?" Aang said.

"Goku's Saiyan name or something," Naruto said. "He explained it to the Hokage and I a while back."

"It's Kakarot's name, period!" Vegeta said. "Now, are we going to fight?"

"What are you three standing around for?" Piccolo said, leading the others up the trail. "It's gonna take us at least another half an hour before we get to the top! Get moving!"

"Don't expect him to save you next time," Vegeta said, heading back on the path first.

"Hey! Wait up!" Goku yelled from behind the group, catching up along with Ichigo.

"Ichigo!" Yusuke exclaimed. "It's about time you got here! What took you so long?"

"I don't know," Ichigo said. "Maybe I was fighting a ninja by myself!"

"She was a girl," Yusuke said, catching the direct attention of Erza. "You should have been able to defeat her easily-"

"What's wrong with girls?" Erza said, towering over Yusuke.

"N-nothing!" Yusuke said. "I didn't mean for it to come out that way."

Erza grinned and patted him on the head. "Good. Carry on."

"You don't get to be offended by that!" Edward said. "You are the same person who thought I couldn't beat someone because I was _short!_"

"I've apologized!" Erza shouted. "Stop acting so immature!"

"Immature?!" Edward yelled. "_Immature?! _It's because I'm short, isn't it?!"

"It's because you won't accept my apology!" Erza said.

"Here we go again," Inuyasha said, shaking his head.

Yusuke and Natsu watched as Erza walked up to the front of the group. "Erza is pretty scary," Yusuke said.

"Tell me about it," Natsu said. "I would not want get on her bad side."

"I will make sure to stay off of her bad side," Yusuke said. "I never realized she was so tall."

Natsu smirked. "It's not that she's tall, it's because Edward is so short by comparison-"

"I heard that!" Edward said, stomping over toward Natsu. "Call me that again! I dare you!"

Natsu's lips curled into an evil grin. "You're so-"

Yusuke's hand clamped over Natsu's mouth. "Strong. You're so strong."

Natsu blew fire onto Yusuke's hands.

Yusuke whipped his hands back and buried them in the snow. "Ouch! What the heck was that for?"

"Stop fooling around," Ichigo said. "You can get a room when we get back to Earth. Restrain yourselves here."

The fighting stopped instantly. "I'm not sure how to reply to that," Edward said.

The party continued in silence for up to five minutes. Luffy grinned. "I spy-"

"No," Piccolo said. "I liked the silence."

"But I'm bored!" Luffy whined.

"Oh well," Vegeta said.

Luffy folded his arms and looked at the snow falling from the sky. "What is snow?"

"Snow is granular precipitation composed of ice particles from the clouds," Ichigo said. "You have seen snow before, right?"

"Yeah," Luffy said. "I was never told what it was exactly."

Silence settled again. A slow, cold wind blew through the air.

"How about we sing a song?" Luffy asked.

"No," Piccolo said. "Peace and quiet."

Luffy started humming to himself. "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves. I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, and this is how it goes-"

"Oh my gosh! Shut up!" Piccolo groaned.

Natsu joined in. "We know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves! We know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, and this it how it goes!"

Yusuke and Naruto joined in on the annoying song, changing the lyrics. "We know a song that gets on Piccolo-o's nerves! Piccolo-o's nerves, Piccolo-o's nerves! We know a song that gets on Piccolo-o's nerves, and this is how it goes!"

"For the love of Kami!" Piccolo shouted.

Ichigo smirked.

Piccolo glared at his student. "Ichigo, don't you dare!"

"We know a song that gets on Piccolo-o's nerves, Piccolo-o's nerves, Piccolo-o's nerves- Edward! We know a song that gets on Piccolo-o's nerves, and this it how it goes!"

"I'm not singing," Edward told himself. "I'm not singing, I'm not-" Edward buried his face in his hands. "I'm going to sing." Edward took in a deep breath. "I know a song that gets on Piccolo-o's nerves! Piccolo-o's nerves, Piccolo-o's nerves..."

"Kakarot! Do something about your students or I will!" Vegeta barked.

Goku grinned. "It's not my fault that they know a song that gets on everybody's nerves-"

"Kakarot, I swear on my father's name, if you sing, I'll kill you!"

"Everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves!"

"Why am I friends with you guys again?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's because you don't know how it goes," Aang said.

"Look, you little pipsqueak, you start singing and I'll-"

"You'll learn how it goes!" Aang said, patting Inuyasha on the back.

Kakashi, Trunks, and Erza gradually walked faster and faster, getting as far away from their teammates as possible. "Get back here!" Zoro yelled from on top of Edward's back. "You are not about to leave me with this!"

"Sorry!" Trunks shouted back.

"Cowards!" Zoro yelled. "When I'm able to stand on my own, I'm gonna kick all of your scared butts from here all the way to Earth!"

The song went on for the next half an hour. "Namekian," Vegeta said. "If this doesn't stop soon, I'm going to blow Arulok to pieces."

"If it wasn't for the Dragonball and our friends being here, I might join you."

"Guys!" Trunks yelled from farther up the path. "We made it!"

The rest of the group ran to catch up. Luffy and the rest of the annoying singing group ceased their song. Piccolo, Vegeta, and Inuyasha groaned in relief. "If you sing that song ever again," Vegeta said, "I will not hesitate to murder you and everything you love."

"That's the monastery?" Ichigo said, staring at the humongous, castle-sized fortress at the top of two curving sets of stairs with a marble statue of a large, roaring dragon in between them.

"It looks more like an abandoned fort of some sort," Yusuke said.

Two wide, tall cubic buildings connected by a thin central tower traveling far back made up the monastery. The only way to get inside was by going into one of the large sets of stone double doors with a carved dragon's head above them. Small, slit shaped windows were the only way one could see inside or outside. "How can they even breathe?" Aang asked.

Goku and Piccolo's eyes widened. "Did you feel that too, Goku?" Piccolo said.

Goku nodded. "I did; they're powerful."

"Feel what? Who's powerful?" Vegeta checked his scouter. Four power levels appeared on the screen. "Their power levels are doubling by the second!" The scouter felt hot on his ear. "Anyone checking your scouter, take it off and step back!"

Vegeta threw his scouter in the air, watching it explode a split second later. Luffy took his off and threw it away as well. "I think it would be safest to ditch the scouters as of now."

"I agree," Ichigo said. "They haven't really helped us."

"That's because we're nowhere near the Dragonball," Goku said. "But I have a feeling that whoever these guys are should have a way to help us with that."

"They need to help us find our friends first," Naruto said. "Then we can worry about the Dragonball."


End file.
